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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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https://archive.org/details/landofvedabeingp00butl_0 


T II  E 


LAND  OF  THE  VEDA: 

BEING 

PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES 

OF 

INDIA; 

ITS  PEOPLE,  CASTES,  THUGS,  AND  FAKIRS; 

ITS  RELIGIONS,  MYTHOLOGY,  PRINCIPAL  MONUMENTS,  PALACES,  AND 

MAUSOLEUMS : 

TOGETHER  WITH  THE 

Indents  of  the  (tat  grtdlion, 

AND  ITS  RESULTS  TO  CHRISTIANITY  AND  CIVILIZATION. 

With  a Map  of  India , and  42  Illustrations , 


ALSO,  STATISTICAL  TABLES  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS,  AND  A GLOSSARY  OF  INDIAN 
TERMS  C8ED  IN  THI8  WORK  AND  IN  MISSIONARY  CORRESPONDENCE. 

By  Rev.  WILLIAM  llUTLER,  D.D. 


NEW  YORK: 

CARLTON  & LANAHAN. 

SAN  FRANCISCO:  E.  THOMAS. 
CINCINNATI : HITCHCOCK  & WALDEN. 

1872. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 


CARLTON  & LANAHAN, 


In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 


HE  writer  of  this  book  has  aimed  to  act  toward  the  reader  in 


the  relation  of  a guide,  as  though  he  were  going  over  the 
ground  again,  and  giving  the  benefit  of  his  experience,  in  pointing 
out  the  objects  of  interest  with  which  years  and  study  have  famil- 
iarized his  own  mind.  The  thread  of  the  narrative  runs  through 
the  work,  and,  so  far  as  the  subject  permitted,  its  continuity  has 
been  preserved. 

In  a theme  like  that  of  India,  and  after  the  reading  and  note- 
taking of  fifteen  years,  it  is  a difficult  task  for  an  author  to  trace 
every  entry  to  its  source,  or  adequately  to  discriminate  between 
what  is  original  and  what  is  borrowed.  Every  reasonable  effort, 
however,  has  been  made  to  give  proper  acknowledgment  wherever 
it  was  found  desirable  to  use  the  ideas  or  language  of ‘others. 

While  the  denominational  relation  of  the  writer  is  evident  enough, 
he  trusts  that  there  will  not  be  found  on  these  pages  a single  sen- 
tence that  can  give  offense  to  any  member  of  Christ’s  Church,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  that  their  perusal  may  encourage  and  strengthen 
the  faith  of  God’s  elect  in  that  almighty  Power  which,  even  in  the 
idolatrous  and  conservative  East,  is  so  manifestly  subduing  all 
things  unto  Himself.  Here  may  be  discerned  the  dawn  of  that 
day,  so  long  foretold,  when  all  Oriental  races  shall  be  blessed  in  a 
Redeemer  who  was  himself  Asiatic  by  birth  and  blood  and  the 
sphere  of  His  personal  ministry — whose  cross  was  erected  on  that 
continent,  and  whose  first  ministers  and  members  were  taken 
from  among  that  people.  The  hundreds  of  millions  of  their  de- 
scendants now  await  this  redemption,  and  shall  yet  joyously  unite 
to  crown  him  “ Lord  of  all.” 

The  writer  has  not  concealed  his  conviction  that  human  history, 


4 


P BE  FACE. 


and  the  movements  and  changes  of  thrones,  and  powers,  and 
kingdoms,  can  be  fully  understood  only  in  the  light  of  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Second  Psalm.  Jesus  Christ,  the  divine  and  eternal 
Son  of  God,  who  created  and  redeemed  this  world,  is  its  “ Master 
and  Lord.”  The  number,  the  malignity,  the  counsel  of  his  foes,  are 
lighter  in  his  estimation  than  the  chaff  of  the  summer  threshing- 
floor,  and  as  easily  swept  from  the  path  of  his  almighty  move- 
ments. He  has  not  abandoned  this  world,  with  its  thousand 
millions  of  accountable  and  dying  men,  to  be  the  victims  of  the 
whims  and  caprice  of  selfish  potentates,  deceiving  errorists,  or 
wicked  spirits  in  high  places,  to  be  forever  crushed  down  beneath 
their  tyranny  and  misdirection.  He  has  undertaken,  and  will 
accomplish,  man’s  redemption  in  every  sense,  temporal,  spiritual, 
and  eternal. 

That  repose  which  the  world,  and  particularly  its  Oriental  por- 
tion, so  much  needs  and  has  so  long  sighed  for,  is  to  be  found 
only  in  Him  ; and  it  will  come  when  He  has  overthrown  the  foes 
of  the  world’s  welfare,  and  rectified  its  many  wrongs.  Then,  be- 
neath the  benign  administration  of  this  “ Prince  of  Peace,”  human- 
ity at  length  shall  rest,  each  of  them  under  his  own  vine  and  fig- 
tree,  and  none  shall  make  them  afraid. 

The  government  of  Christ  alone  explains  the  condition  and  the 
history  of  the  world.  We  acknowledge  him  to  be  “ The  blessed 
and  only  Potentate,  the  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords,” 
whose  scepter  sways  “all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth.”  At  his 
feet,  who  is  “ Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,”  and  “ Head  over 
all  things  to  the  Church,”  is  laid  this  humble  effort  to  illustrate 
his  high  providence,  as  one  more  heartfelt  tribute  to  be  added  to 
the  many  which  are  already  ascribing — “ Blessing,  and  honor,  and 
glory,  and  power  unto  Him  who  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto 
the  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever  ! ” W.  B. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

CHIEFLY  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS. 


The  Taj  Mahal— Agra  (Steel) Frontispiece 

Map — Land  of  the  Veda  (India) Opposite  page  u 

Pag  « 

Hindoos  and  their  Teacher 17 

A Brahmin 21 

Brahmins  at  Prayer 26 

A Lady  of  India  in  Full  Dress 40 

The  Nautch  Girl  of  India 44 

The  Maharajah  Dhuleep  Singh 48 

The  Mohammedans  of  India 62 

Mohammed  Suraj-oo-deen  Shah  Gazee,  Emperor  of  Delhi,  the  Last  of 

the  Moguls 106 

Zenat  Mahal,  Empress  of  Delhi  (Steel) in 

The  Dewan  Khass,  or  Hall  of  Audience,  Palace  of  Delhi 1 1 7 

Weighing  of  the  Emperor  in  the  Dewan  Khass 123 

The  Taj  Mahal  viewed  from  the  River  Jumna 12S 

The  Gate  of  the  Taj 132 

The  Taj  Mahal — Agra (See  Frontispiece) 

Tomr  of  Etmad-ood-Doulah — Agra  (Steel) 150 

The  Kootub  Minar 157 

The  “Nana  Sahib,”  the  Author  of  the  Cawnpore  Massacre i£o 

The  Fakirs  of  India 193 

A Self-torturing  Fakir 196 

The  Yogee,  or  Silent  Saint  of  India 


200 


6 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


P*r.c 

Wajid  Ali  Shaii,  the  Last  King  of  Oude 209 

Joel,  Our  first  Native  Preacher 215 

Peggy 21S 

Nynee  Tal  as  you  enter  it 243 

“The  House  of  Massacre” 304 

“The  Well” — Inside  View 311 

“The  Shrine” — Outside  View : 31 1 

“The  Residency” — Lucknow,  India 317 

Major-General  Sir  Henry  Havelock  (Steel) 334 

The  Relief  of  Lucknow  by  General  Havelock 348 

Preparing  for  the  Immolation  of  a Hindoo  Widow  (Steel) 375 

A Group  of  Tiiugs 396 

The  First  House  of  Worship  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 

India 435 

The  Sheep-House  Congregation 438 

Lord  Wellesley,  who  made  Female  Infanticide  Penal 474 

Hindoo  Woman  Waiting  on  her  PIusband 489 

Hindoo  Widow  in  her  usual  Dress 499 

Lord  Bentinck,  who  Terminated  the  Suttee 502 

Boys’  Orphanage,  School-house,  and  Chapel  at  Lodipore,  India 507 

Theological  Class  of  the  Boys’  Orphanage 513 

The  Mission-House  and  Female  Orphanage  at  Bareilly 517 

Graduating  Class  of  the  Female  Orphanage 523 


rvr 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PEOPLE  OF  INDIA — CASTE  AND  IT 8 IMMUNITIES. 

Great  Emergencies  of  Christianity — Our  Narrow  Escape — Origin  of  Caste — The 
Brahmin — Brahminical  Devotions — Prerogatives  and  Investiture — Discriminations  in 
the  Brahmin’s  Favor  by  the  Law — Four  Stages  of  a Brahmin’s  Life — Brahminism  a 
Dead  Failure — The  People  of  India — The  Ladies  of  the  Land — The  Nautch  Girls — 
The  Gentlemen  of  India — Conversion  and  Career  of  Maharajah  Dhuleep  Singh — Habits 
of  the  Hindoo  Aristocracy — Christianity  alone  Creates  a Home — Hindoo  Visits  of 
Ceremony — Marriage  Expenses — Manners  and  Customs Page  n 


CHAPTER  n. 

STATISTICS,  MYTHOLOGY,  AND  VEDIC  LITERATURE. 

Civil  and  Religious  Statistics  of  India — The  Languages  of  India — India  Compared 
to  Europe — Trade,  Commerce,  and  Revenue — Railroads  and  Telegraphs — English 
Empire — Value  of  India  to  England — The  Higher  Motives  for  English  Rule — Mapping 
out  Eternity — Measurements  of  Time — Mythology,  Geography,  and  Astronomy  of  the 
Hindoos — The  Vedas — Beef-eating  Sanctioned  by  the  Vedas — Manners  of  the  Hindoos 
at  the  Time  of  the  Macedonian  Invasion,  (326  B.  C.) — Vile  Character  of  Vedic  Wor- 
ship— Deception  as  to  the  Contents  of  the  Veda — Hindoo  Literature — The  Ramayana 
— The  Temptation  and  Abduction  of  Seeta — The  Mahabarata 66 

CHAPTER  HI. 

ARCHITECTURAL  MAGNIFICENCE  OF  INDIA. 

Personal  Narrative  of  Appointment  and  Journey — Our  Reception  in  India — Charac- 
ter of  Mohammedan  Rule — The  Moslem  Dynasty  Passing  Away — Zeenat  Mahal — The 
Khass  and  the’  Mogul  Sinking  Together — Architectural  Taste  of  the  Emperors — 
Moore’s  Blunder  in  Lalla  Rookh — Paradise  and  its  Privileges — The  Dewanee  Khass  and 
its  Glorious  Furniture — Interview  of  Nadir  Shah  and  Mohammed  Shah — Tact  of  the 
Courtier — The  First  Sight  of  the  Taj  Mahal — View  from  the  Gate — Inside  of  the  Taj 
— The  Effect  of  Music  over  the  Tomb — The  Taj  Matchless — Origin  of  the  Taj — The 
Lost  Opportunity  of  Romanism  at  Agra — A Prayer  which  God  will  ever  Refuse  to 
Answer — Cost  of  the  Taj — Etmad-ood-Doulah’s  Tomb — The  Daughter  of  the  Desert 
■ — The  Heroine  of  Moore’s  Poem — The  Kootub  Minar — Its  Origin  and  Style — The 
Government  of  Jehovah  Christ  over  Nations  and  Dynasties — The  Unfinished  Minar — 
The  Palladium  of  Hindoo  Dominion ioi 

CHAPTER  IV. 

ORIGINATING  CAUSES  OF  THE  SEPOY  REBELLION. 

Position  of  the  Emperor  of  Delhi — Terms  of  the  English  Bargain  with  the  Mogul — 
Why  the  Munificent  Provision  Failed — The  Pageant  felt  to  be  a Bore — Moslem  Hate 


8 


CONTENTS. 


of  Christ  and  Christians — The  Nana  Sahib — His  Agent  Azeemoolah — A Hypocrite 
who  has  no  Equal — Mohammedan  Monopoly  of  Place  and  Power — Sepoy  Army  and 
its  Disadvantages — Annexation  of  Oude — Dread  of  Christian  Civilization — The  Fakirs 
of  India — Humorous  Anecdote  of  Self-torturing  Fakir — The  Yogees — Hindoo  Rules 
of  Moral  Perfection — Number  and  Expense  of  Saints  in  India — Militant  Fakirs — Luck- 
now, its  Beauty  and  Vileness — Those'  who  Needed  us  Most — Our  Mission  F ield — Joel, 
our  First  Native  Preacher — Peggy’s  Sacrifice  for  her  Saviour Page  170 

CHAPTER  V. 

“IN  PERILS  BY  THE  HEATHEN,  IN  PERILS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS.” 

Reception  at  Bareilly — A Man  who  Never  Heard  of  America — The  Greased  Car- 
tridges— Methods  and  Motives  Employed  to  Foment  Rebellion — Willoughby’s  Gallant 
Defense  of  the  Delhi  Magazine — Massacre  of  Meerut  and  Delhi — Providential  Com- 
pensations— Our  Warning  to  Flee — Declined  to  Leave — Reconsideration  and  Flight — 
Left  in  the  Terai  at  Midnight — God’s  Answer  to  a Brief  Prayer — Our  First  Sight  of 
Nynee  Tal — The  Massacre  at  Bareilly — Joel’s  Narrative  of  his  Escape  and  Flight-- 
Death  of  Maria — Bromfield-street  and  Bareilly  on  the  Same  Day — Massacre  at  Shah- 
jehanpore — The  Murdered  Missionaries — “Tempering  the  Wind  to  the  Shorn  Lamb" 
— Our  Measures  of  Defense  at  Nynee  Tal — The  Value  of  Our  Pleads — “The  Mutiny 
Baby” — How  we  Lived,  and  our  Commissariat — Mutilation  of  our  Messengers — Hun- 
gry for  News — Mrs.  Edwards  and  the  Garment  of  Praise — Lying  and  Blasphemous 
Proclamations  of  the  Rebel  Authorities — The  Spirit  of  the  Moslem  Cree^l — The  Delhi 
Battle  of  the  23d  of  June — Scarcity  and  Dearness  of  our  Provisions — Our  Rampore 
Friend — Le  Bas  and  the  Nawab  of  Kurnal — The  Fakir  and  the  Baby — Our  Sudden 
Flight  from  Nynee  Tal  to  Almorah — Again  “in  Perils  in  the  Wilderness” — Light  in 
the  Darkness — Almorah  Reached  at  Last — The  Fearful  State  of  Things  before  Delhi 
— Our  Battle  at  Iluldwanee 221 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CAWNPORE  MASSACRE  AND  THE  RELIEF  OF  LUCKNOW. 

American  Blood  among  the  First  Shed  at  Cawnpore — “These  are  They  which 
Came  Out  of  Great  Tribulation” — Authorities  for  the  Story — Sir  Hugh  Wheeler's 
Preparation — The  Beginning  of  the  Long  Agony — A Sorrow  without  a Parallel — The 
Nana  Sahib’s  Infernal  Treachery — Reserves  the  Ladies  for  Another  Doom — The  Dark- 
est Crime  in  Human  History — The  Nana  Sahib  Meets  General  Havelock — Totally 
Routed — Havelock’s  Soldiers  at  “The  Well” — “I  Believe  in  the  Resurrection  of  the 
Body” — The  Shrine  erected  by  a Weeping  Country — Blowing  Away  from  Guns  and  its 
Motive — Siege  of  Lucknow — Sir  Henry  Lawrence’s  Preparation  for  Defense — The  Dis- 
astrous Defeat  of  Chinhut — The  Unequal  Conditions  of  the  Conflict — The  Muchec 
Bawun  Blown  Up — Sir  Henry  Lawrence’s  Death — Determined  Resolution  of  the  Gar- 
rison— Value  and  Price  of  Stores — Soothing  Influence  of  Prayer — The  Omen  of  Coming 
Liberty  and  Peace — Havelock’s  Opportune  Arrival  at  Calcutta — Military  Services  and 
Career — Begins  his  Grand  March  with  a Handful  of  Troops — The  Battles  of  P'utty- 
pore  and  Pandoo  Nuddee — Enters  Cawnpore  July  17th — Too  Late  after  all  to  Save  the 
Ladies — Crosses  the  Ganges  and  Marches  for  Lucknow — Wins  his  Seventh  Victory — 
Obliged  by  Cholera  and  the  Condition  of  his  Troops  to  Wait  for  Reinforcements — 
Sir  James  Outram’s  Noble  Concession — Reinforced  and  On  his  Way  again — The  Res- 
idency Reached  and  the  Ladies  Saved — Shut  in  Again — Sir  Colin  Campbell’s  Approach 
to  Lucknow — Jessie  Brown  and  her  “ Dinnaye  Hear  the  Slogan  ? ” — Meeting  of  Camp- 
bell, Outram,  and  Havelock — Evacuation  of  the  Residency — Havelock  Dying — Recep- 
tion of  the  Ladies  at  Allahabad 20; 


CONTEXTS. 


9 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  CAU8E9  AND  FAILURE  OF  THE  SEPOY  REBELLION. 

England’s  Misrepresentatives — The  Eask  India  Company  Answered  by  One  of  its 
own  Hindoo  Subjects— Escape  of  India  from  French  Rule — Young  Bengal’s  Opinion 
of  Christianity— Native  Appreciation  of  English  Government— Hindoo  Estimate  of 
Missionaries  and  Christianity — The  Interested  Enemies  of  British  Rule — Suttee  with- 
out Vedic  Sanction— The  Mode  and  Extent  of  Suttee— The  Motives  of  the  Immolation 
— Instances  of  Suttee — Abolished  by  Lord  Bentinck — 1 he  I hugs  of  India  Our  Inter- 
view with  Two  Hundred  of  Them — Divine  Sanction  for  Thuggeeism — What  the  Con- 
flict Involved  — England's  Confession  of  her  Sins— A Missionary  Succeeds  where  a Gov- 
ernment Fails— Sir  John  Lawrence’s  Christian  Courage— Our  Position  again  Assailed 
— Another  Divine  Interposition  in  our  Behalf — Delhi  halls  at  Last — Our  Journey 
Across  the  Himalayas — In  Danger  from  the  Wild  Beasts — Arrival  of  our  First  Mis- 
sionaries at  Calcutta — In  Sorrow,  Supposing  us  Killed — We  Reach  the  Plains  and  Pro- 
ceed to  Delhi — The  Nakedness  of  the  Captured  City — Alone  at  Midnight  at  the  Kot- 
walie — The  Sights  of  Delhi — Mohammedan  Treatment  of  Hindoo  Idols — Our  Visit 
to  the  Fallen  Emperor — Other  Royal  Captives  awaiting  Trial— Attending  Christian 
Worship  in  the  Dewanee  Khass — Why  the  Sepoy  Rebellion  Failed — Constitutional 
F'reedom  Foreign  to  Eastern  Minds Page  35^ 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

RESULTS  OF  THE  REBELLION  TO  CHRISTIANITY  AND  CIVILIZATION. 

Meeting  with  One  of  the  Bareilly  Refugees — Colonel  Cowan’s  Munificence — Doctor 
Wentworth’s  Invitation  to  China — Sad  Service  at  the  Meerut  Post-Office — Joined  by 
the  Missionaries  and  their  Wives — Lodged  in  the  Taj  Mahal — Proceed  to  Nynee  Tal 
and  Commence  our  Work — The  Sheep-House  Congregation — The  Battle  of  Bareilly — 
The  Grave  of  the  Great  Rebellion — Descent  to  Bareilly  and  Visit  to  my  Ruined  Home 
— Conducting  Worship  for  Havelock’s  Heroes  on  their  Last  Battle-field — Visit  to  Khan 
Bahadur  in  Prison — His  Trial  and  How  he  Died — Journey  to  Futtyghur  and  Cawnpore 
— Re-enter  Lucknow’ — Reception  by  Sir  Robert  Montgomery — Marvelous  Changes — 
Results  of  the  Rebellion  viewed  from  the  Residency — Plffect  on  the  Mohammedans — 
The  Irishman  iu  the  Lucknow  Court — “One  of  You  shall  Chase  a Thousand” — Abo- 
lition of  the  East  India  Company — Condition  and  Prospects  of  the  Gospel — Martyr 
Campbell’s  Prayer  Answ'ered — Christianity  Invincible  and  Inevitable 430 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  CONDITION  OF  WOMAN  UNDER  HINDOO  LAW. 

Woman’s  Wrongs  in  India  are  Legal — Female  Infanticide — “ Dark  Saugor’s  impious 
Stain” — Betrothal  of  Hindoo  Girls — Courtship  Unknown  in  India — Legal  Age  for 
Marriage — Seclusion  follows  Betrothal — Education  of  the  Hindoo  Maiden — Subordi- 
nation of  Woman  Legally  Enjoined — The  Wife  Prohibited  from  Eating  w ith  her  Hus- 
band— Required  to  Serve  him  while  he  Eats — Illustration  of  Royal  Tyranny — A 
Woman's  Curse  Dreaded — Polygamy  Allowed  by  Law — Its  Extent — Polyandry — Its 
Ancient  Character  illustrated  from  the  Mahabarata — Widowhood  in  India — Its  Condi- 
tion and  Effect — Death  and  F'uneral  of  the  Hindoo  Wife  and  Mother  on  the  Banks  of 
the  Ganges 468 


IO 


CONTENTS. 


• CHAPTER  X. 

OUR  CHRISTIAN  ORPHANAGES  IN  ROHILCUND. 

Wages  in  India — Causes  of  Famines — Famine  of  i860 — The  Calamity  Turned  to 
Account — Condition  of  the  Orphans  received — Our  Female  Orphanage  erected  on  the 
Site  of  Maria’s  Home — Aspect  of  our  Congregations  before  i860 — The  First  Female 
Orphan — Present  Condition  of  Efficiency  and  Hope Page  506 


CHAPTER  XL 

STATISTICAL  TABLES  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS. 

Table  No.  I.  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India 528 

“ II.  Missionary  Societies  Operating  in  India  in  1872 529 

“ III.  Summarizing  the  Results,  and  Showing  the  Progress,  of  Christian- 
ity in  British  India  since  1852 530 

“ IV.  Foreign  Missionary  Statistics  of  the  Protestant  Church  throughout 

the  World 531 

“ V.  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Societies 532 

“ VI.  Home  Missionary  Societies 532 

“ VII.  Tract  Societies 532 

“ VIII.  Bible  Societies 533 

“ IX.  Roman  Catholic  Missions 534 

“ X.  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic  Missions  Compared 536 


Glossary  of  Indian  Terms  used  in  this  Work  and  in  Missionary  Correspondence  541 


'* 


GvoM’  Av.fHI,lilh.»3 Halt  SuNY. 


THE 

LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PEOPLE  OF  INDIA — CASTE  AND  ITS  IMMUNITIES. 

IN  my  youth  I read  those  amazing  descriptions  of  Oriental 
magnificence  recorded  by  Sir  Thomas  Roe — England’s  first 
Embassador  to  India — and  others,  describing  the  power  and  glory 
of  “ The  Great  Mogul  ” in  such  glowing  terms  that  they  seemed 
more  like  the  romance  of  the  “Arabian  Nights”  than  the  real 
facts,  which  they  were,  of  the  daily  life  witnessed  in  that  splendid 
Court.  Europe  then  heard  for  the  first  time  of  “The  Taj,”  “The 
Peacock  Throne,”  “ The  Dewanee  Khass,”  “ The  Weighing  of  the 
Emperor,”  when  on  each  birthday  his  person  was  placed  in 
golden  scales,  and  twelve  times  his  weight  of  gold  and  silver, 
perfumes  and  other  valuables,  were  distributed  to  the  populace 
but  the  statements  seemed  so  distant  from  probability  that  they 
were  regarded  by  many  as  extravagances  which  might  well  rank 
with  the  asserted  facts  of  “ Lalla  Rookh  ; ” so  that  the  Embassa- 
dor, who  was  three  years  a resident,  and  the  Poet,  who  had  never 
been  there  at  all,  with  their  authorities,  seemed  alike  to  have 
drawn  upon  their  imagination  for  their  facts,  transcending,  as  their 
descriptions  did,  the  ability  and  the  taste  of  European  Courts. 

How  little  I then  imagined  that  it  would  fall  to  my  lot  at  a 
future  day  to  be  in  that  very  Dewanee  Khass,  sitting  quietly  on 
the  side  of  his  Crystal  Throne,  beholding  the  last  of  the  Mogul 
Emperors,  a captive,  on  trial  for  his  life,  in  that  magnificent  Audi- 


12 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


ence  Hall  of  his  forefathers,  where  millions  have  bowed  down 
before  them  in  such  abject  homage ! that  I should  be  there  to  see 
him,  the  last  of  their  line,  descending  from  that  throne  and  $900,000 
per  annum  to  a felon’s  doom  and  the  deck  of  a convict  ship,  to 
breathe  out  the  remnant  of  his  miserable  life  upon  a foreign  shore  ; 
and  then  after  his  departure  to  behold,  as  I did,  that  costly  Khass 
given  over  to  the  spoiler’s  hand,  rifled  by  the  English  soldiers  of 
its  last  ornaments,  and  ruined  forever  ! 

Truly  has  it  been  said  that  ofttimes  “fact  is  stranger  than  fic- 
tion and  the  assertion  has  seldom  received  more  impressive 
illustrations  than  are  found  in  the  wonderful  scenes  which  I wit- 
nessed in  the  Court  of  Delhi  at  the  close  of  1857. 

In  reading  that  stirring  account  of  the  great  victory  won  for 
Christianity  near  Poictiers  on  the  3d  of  October,  A.  D.  732 — when 
the  brave  Charles  Martel,  at  the  head  of  his  Christian  warriors, 
had  to  meet  Abder  Rahman  and  his  Arabian  cavalry,  375,000 
strong,  and  there  to  decide  whether  Europe  should  henceforth  be 
Christian  or  Moslem — one  almost  trembles  as  he  thinks  what  would 
have  been  the  result  had  Charles  failed  that  day  ! The  hosts  of 
the  Arabian  Antichrist  had  already  extinguished  the  seven 
Churches  of  Asia,  almost  swept  North  Africa  of  its  Christianity, 
had  passed  the  pillars  of  Hercules  and  conquered  Spain,  crossed 
the  Pyrenees,  and  were  now  descending'  into  France  and  Ger- 
many with  the  intention  of  completing  the  circuit  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  making  Europe  as  Mohammedan  as  they  had  made 
Asia  Minor  and  Palestine.  Christendom  was  terrified,  for  the 
Christian  Church  seemed  pressed  to  the  verge  of  ruin.  On  the 
issue  of  that  morning,  so  far  as  human  eye  can  penetrate  the  future, 
it  was  then  and  there  to  be  decided  whether  Paris  and  London, 
and,  by  consequence,  New  York  and  Boston,  were  to  be  like  Bag- 
dad, Constantinople,  and  Damascus : whether,  instead  of  the  spires 
of  our  churches  and  the  sound  of  our  Sabbath  bells,  our  race  was 
to  receive,  at  the  sword’s  point,  another  faith,  whose  outward 
expression  would  be  the  Mosque  and  the  Minaret,  and  the  Muez- 
zin’s cry  calling  “ the  faithful”  to  the  Koran  and  its  prayers ! 


C 11 RIS TIA NI TY'S  GREAT  EMERGENCIES. 


13 


Well  did  Christendom  bestow  the  surname  of  the  “Hammer” 
upon  the  heroic  Charles!  From  the  blows  which  he  dealt  out  to 
those  foes  of  Gospel  civilization  they  reeled  back,  stunned  into  the 
keen  conviction  that  for  them  and  their  hateful  creed  there  was  no 
home  in  Europe.  They  recrossed  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  and, 
instead  of  the  Gallic  and  Germanic  races,  sought  an  easier  prey  in 
the  enervated  communities  of  Oriental  heathenism.  Thus,  instead 
of  France  and  Britain  and  Germany,  the  Crescent  of  the  False 
Prophet  subdued,  and  for  nearly  a thousand  years  waved  over,  Egypt, 
Persia,  Toorkistan,  and  India.  But  for  the  Providence  which  gave 
Charles  Martel  that  decisive  victory,  Arabic  had  been  the  classical 
language,  and  Islamism  the  religion  of  our  race  and  of  Europe  ; 
and  “America  and  the  Cape,  the  Compass  and  the  Press,  the 
Steam-engine,  the  Telescope,  and  the  Copernican  System,  might 
all  have  remained  undiscovered  until  the  present  day.” 

When  reading  these  thrilling  events  long  years  since,  how  free  I 
was  from  any  anticipation  that  I should  yet  have  to  stand  in  the 
center  of  Asia,  amid  a similar  whirl  of  confusion  and  blood,  organ- 
ized by  that  very  creed,  as  it  rose  in  its  might  to  sweep  the  East- 
ern hemisphere  of  every  vestige  of  the  Gospel,  and  plant  its 
triumphant  flag  on  the  ruins  of  Christianity ; that  it  should  be  my 
lot  to  be  lost  to  sight  for  months  amid  the  rolling  clouds  of  the 
conflict,  where  Henry  Havelock,  victorious  over  Nana  Sahib, 
accomplished  for  Oriental  Christianity  what  Charles  Martel  did  a 
thousand  years  before  for  the  same  faith,  in  the  West ; that  at 
length,  emerging  unscathed,  I should  have  the  high  honor  to  be 
invited  by  them  to  render  their  thanks  to  God  for  their  victory,  on 
the  last  battle-field  which  his  heroes  won  ; and,  more  wonderful 
still,  that  there,  amid  the  utter  military  downfall  of  that  creed  and 
its  chief  dynasty,  I should  be  privileged  to  plant  the  standard  of 
the  Cross  in  the  land  of  the  Sepoy,  and  live  to  see  Churches 
founded  and  native  ministers  raised  up  from  the  very  race  who 
sought  our  life  and  labored  to  destroy  our  faith  ! 

How  different  would  the  East  and  the  West  have  been  to-day 
had  either  Martel  or  Havelock  failed ! But  God  is  great  for  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


exigencies  of  his  people,  and  has  often,  as  in  both  these  instances, 
shown  that  he  can  save  by  few  as  well  as  by  many.  I am  fully  of 
the  opinion,  and  think  this  work  will  abundantly  show,  that  Oriental 
Christianity  never  passed  through  such  an  emergency  as  that  of 
1857-8.  Even  worldly  men,  ay,  the  very  heathen  themselves, 
declared  afterward  that  it  was  God  alone  who  saved  it  from  com- 
plete annihilation.  By  every  law  and  rule  of  power,  opportunity, 
and  purpose,  it  must  have  perished  had  it  been  merely  human,  and 
true  philosophy  as  well  as  Christian  faith  teaches  us  that  it  was 
only  saved  by  the  special  interposition  of  Almighty  God,  its 
defender  and  keeper.  During  the  long  and  weary  months  of  our 
siege  on  the  summit  of  Nynee  Tal,  the  handful  of  villagers  there 
declared  that  we  were  the  last  of  the  Christian  life  left  in  India — 
that  from  where  we  stood,  to  the  sea  on  either  side,  our  religion  and 
race  had  been  all  swept  away.  We  knew  well  that  if  this  were  so  our 
fate  was  but  a question  of  time  that  would  soon  be  consummated. 

Cut  off  and  excluded,  there  we  stood,  our  anxious  hearts  trying 
to  ponder  the  terrible  question,  Could  this  be  so  ? and  if  so,  how 
fearful  must  be  the  result ! For  we  felt  assured,  if  it  were,  that  the 
successful  effort  of  the  India  Sepoy  would  have  found  cruel  imita- 
tion in  Burmah,  China,  and  Japan,  and  that  it  was  possible  that,  at 
that  hour — in  those  terrible  days  of  July  and  August,  1857 — Chris- 
tianity might  have  been  extinguished  in  the  blood  of  its  last  martyrs 
on  the  Oriental  hemisphere,  and  the  clock  of  the  world  been  put 
back  for  centuries.  We  could  only  turn  to  God,  and  “against 
hope  believe  in  hope,”  while  we  ourselves  “ stood  in  jeopardy  ever) 
hour.”  How  serious  that  jeopardy  was  may  be  realized  by  turning 
to  the  map,  and  describing  a circle  around  the  geographical  center 
of  our  mission  at  Shajehanpore,  until  its  diameter  would  expand  to 
three  hundred  miles.  That  area  would  encircle  nearly  the  whole 
of  Rohilcund,  Oude,  and  The  Doab,  and  would  include  the  cities 
of  Moradabad,  Futtyghur,  Bareilly,  Lucknow,  Cawnpore,  Rampore, 
etc.  It  would  represent  the  very  heart  of  the  great  Rebellion. 
Every  city,  town,  and  village  within  these  limits  “fell,”  so  that, with 
the  exception  of  the  handful  with  us  at  Nynee  Tal,  one  little  group 


OUR  NARROW  ESCAPE. 


15 


that  was  closely  hidden  in  a Hindoo  home  in  Rohilcund,  those  in 
the  “ Residency  ” of  Lucknow,  and  those  in  the  intrenchmcnts  at 
Cawnpore — not  a white  face  in  all  that  great  valley  was  left  alive. 
Within  that  fearful  circle  on  the  31st  of  May,  1857,  were  five 
American  missionaries.  I am  the  only  one  of  the  number  that 
came  out  of  the  terrible  vortex ; all  the  rest,  with  their  wives  and 
children,  were  ruthlessly  murdered.  We  knew  them  well — Broth- 
ers Freeman,  Campbell,  Johnson,  and  M’Mullen,  and  their  devoted 
ladies  and  little  ones,  honored  and  beloved  missionaries  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  Church.  We  alone  of  the  number  are  left 
alive  to  tell  the  story  of  the  circumstances  under  which  they  suf- 
fered, and  of  our  own  wonderful  escape  from  a similar  death  ! 
How  well  we  can  appreciate  the  victory  of  Christian  civilization 
over  heathen  cruelty  and  purposes,  as  well  as  the  amazing  strides 
made  by  the  Gospel  and  by  education  since  that  fearful  day ! 

The  reader  will  well  remember  how  the  world  stood  horrified  in 
the  fall  of  that  year  as  mail  after  mail  brought  the  tidings  of  cruelty 
and  massacre,  in  which  neither  age  nor  sex  was  spared,  and  also 
with  what  anxiety  they  watched  the  progress  of  the  feeble  bands 
of  heroes  who,  under  such  leaders  as  the  gallant  and  saintly 
Havelock,  fought  their  dreadful  way  to  our  rescue,  too  late  to 
save  even  one  at  Cawnpore,  but  in  time  to  rescue  us  and  those  at 
Lucknow. 

The  intervention  of  the  civil  war  in  this  country  necessarily  for 
the  time  turned  away  attention  from  the  horrors  which  were  fourteen 
thousand  miles  distant ; but  the  public  interest  in  this  subject  has 
not  ceased,  nor  will  the  story  of  the  “ Sepoy  Rebellion  ” ever  be 
forgotten  while  men  admire  and  honor  heroic  sufferings,  Anglo- 
Saxon  pluck,  and  sublime  Christian  courage,  exhibited  against  the 
most  fearful  odds  and  in  the  face  of  certain  death,  in  the  center  of 
a whole  continent  of  raging  foes,  while  the  Prince  of  the  powers  of 
the  air  marshaled  the  hosts  of  hell  to  annihilate  the  religion  of  the 
Son  of  God.  Doubtless  “ the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world  ” 
had  more  interest  and  part  in  that  fearful  struggle  than  was  taken 
by  the  poor,  ignorant  Sepoy  or  his  crafty  priest.  It  was  earth 


i6 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


and  hell  combined.  No  other  theory  can  account  for  its  char- 
acter. Of  this  the  reader  will  judge  for  himself  from  the  facts 
presented. 

Fourteen  years  have  passed  since  closed  that  great  “ wrestling 
with  flesh  and  blood,  with  principalities  and  powers,  and  wicked 
spirits  in  high  places.”  Eight  of  those  years  were  spent  by  the 
writer  amid  the  scenes  of  1857-8,  giving  him  occasion  to  verify 
and  examine  the  facts  where  they  transpired,  and  correct  his  judg- 
ment by  as  good  an  opportunity  as  could  be  desired.  I feel  the 
responsibility  to  see  that  such  facts  shall  not  drop  into  oblivion. 
They  should  not  be  allowed  to  die,  especially  associated  as  they 
are  with  the  history  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  India,  whose  foun- 
dations were  laid  in  such  “ troublous  times.” 

It  will  assist  the  reader’s  attention,  and  promote  a more  ade- 
quate understanding  of  our  subject,  to  introduce  to  him  at  this 
point  the  people  of  whom  we  are  speaking,  and  also  unfold  some- 
what their  character  and  peculiar  civilization.  The  wood-cuts  are 
mostly  from  photographs  brought  from  India,  and  of  course  are 
faithful  representations  of  the  various  classes  as  they  appear  there. 
The  first  group  are  Hindoos,  as  they  sit  round  a Brahmin  to  listen 
to  the  reading  of  the  Vedas. 

The  Hindoos  constitute  the  great  majority  of  the  Empire,  and 
are  of  the  same  Caucasian  race  as  ourselves.  Their  ancestors 
moved  southward  from  their  original  home  more  than  three  thou- 
sand years  ago,  and  occupied  the  Valley  of  Scinde,  probably  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Indus,  while  only  Afghanistan  and  Persia  lay 
between  them  and  the  cradle  of  the  race.  There,  in  that  valley, 
their  most  ancient  Vedas  were  written — manifestly  so  from  the  local 
allusions — and  from  thence  at  a later  period  they  migrated  into  the 
richer  Valley  of  the  Ganges,  driving  before  them  the  aborigines  of 
India,  who  sought  shelter  in  the  jungles  and  mountains,  where 
their  descendants  are  found  to-day.  The  Hindoos  have  long 
ceased  to  be  a warlike  people.  The  rich  land  which  they  con- 
quered, its  fertility,  the  abundance  and  cheapness  of  the  means 
of  life,  and  their  inclination  to  indolence,  which  a warm  climate 


Hindoos  and  their  Teacher 


■ 


I 


- 


■ 


MOHAMMEDAN  INVASION  19 

fosters,  have  all  been  promotive  of  the  effeminacy  into  which  they 
have  so  generally  sunk. 

Their  separation  into  castes  and  classes  have  tended  to  individ- 
ualism, and  to  an  utter  indifference  to  politics  or  the  public  good  ; 
so  that  you  seek  in  vain  for  what  we  call  patriotism  or  love  of 
country.  The  Hindoo,  as  a general  fact,  cares  not  who  rules  tire 
land  if  only  he  is  allowed  to  cultivate  his  fields  and  cat  his  rice  in 
peace.  If  left  to  himself,  the  last  thing  he  would  have  thought  of 
would  have  been  rebellion  ; indeed,  the  Hindoos,  as  a people,  did 
not  rebel.  They  looked  on  in  astonishment,  and  left  the  whole 
affair  to  be  carried  on  and  fought  out  by  the  Sepoys  and  the  Bud- 
mashcs  (the  thieves  and  vagabonds)  of  the  cities. 

In  every  respect  they  are  a contrast  to  the  Mohammedans  among 
them.  No  tendency  to  amalgamation  with  them  has  ever  been 
developed.  They  regard  them  as  aliens  and  oppressors,  and  are 
even  thankful  that  they  are  no  longer  under  their  control. 

About  eight  hundred  years  ago  there  came  pouring  down  into  India 
from  the  countries  of  the  North-west  a hardy,  large-boned,  intoler- 
ant race  of  men,  made  up  of  various  nations,  who  had  heard  of  the 
“ barbaric  pearl  and  gold  ” of  Hindustan,  and  who  panted  to  extend 
over  its  wide  realms  their  religion  and  rule.  Before  this  Moham- 
medan invasion  the  Hindoo  race  succumbed,  though  the  strangers- 
were  not  one  seventh  of  their  number.  But  they  were  a unit ; and,, 
taking  the  Hindoo  nations  in  detail,  they  conquered.  Then,  filling 
the  positions  of  trust  and  the  offices  of  Government  with  their  own 
creatures,  and  as  far  as  they  could  making  a monopoly  of  education, 
they  continued  to  compensate  for  deficiency  of  numbers  by  a poli- 
tic use  of  their  opportunities,  and  left  the  Hindoo  to  till  the  soil 
and  pay  the  yearly  tribute  which  they  had  laid  upon  him.  The  usual 
alternative  of  the  Mohammedan  conquerors — conformity  to  their 
creed  or  grinding  taxation,  or  even  death — had  to  be  foregone  in 
this  instance,  as  its  attempted  enforcement  over  a people  so  much 
more  numerous  would  have  been  too  much  for  even  Hindoo  patience, 
and  have  ended  probably  in  the  extermination  of  their  iconoclastic 
conquerors.  The  distinctive  characteristics  of  each  are  religiously 


20 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


kept  up.  One  of  them  is  in  the  fastening  of  the  outer  garment. 
On  meeting  either  party,  though  the  dress  is  much  the  same,  you 
at  once  distinguish  the  Mohammedan  from  the  Hindoo  by  the  uni- 
versal fact  that  the  latter  has  his  tunic  made  to  button  on  the  right 
side,  while  the  Mohammedan  hooks  his  on  the  left.  There  is  about 
the  Mohammedan  a fierce,  haughty  aspect,  which  he  takes  no 
trouble  to  conceal.  He  cannot  forget  that  he  had  ruled  in  India 
for  seven  hundred  years,  until  the  hated  English  came  and  broke 
the  rod  of  his  strength,  and  he  is  all  the  more  disposed  to  show  his 
bitterness  of  spirit  because  the  Hindoo  race,  with  the  exception  of 
a few  Brahmins,  hailed  the  change  with  sincere  gladness,  and  can 
now  set  him  at  defiance.  It  was  on  this  fact  that  Englishmen 
relied  for  the  perpetuity  of  their  rule ; and  on  it  they  might  have 
depended  for  long  centuries  to  come,  had  it  not  been  for  a combi- 
nation of  peculiar  circumstances  which  existed  in  1857,  and  which 
will  be  detailed  in  their  place. 

Taking  individual  portraits,  for  the  sake  of  more  distinctness,  I 
here  present  a Brahmin,  as  the  acknowledged  head  of  Hindoo 
•society,  and  an  associate  of  the  most  exclusive  and  singular  of  all 
earthly  orders. 

The  man  here  introduced  holds  himself  to  be  a member  of  the 
most  ancient  aristocracy  upon  the  earth.  His  dignity  is  one 
entirely  independent  of  landed  possessions,  wealth,  or  manorial 
halls.  Indeed,  these  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  it.  The 
man  may  have  literally  no  home,  and  not  be  worth  five  dollars  of 
worldly  property  ; he  may  have  to  solicit  his  next  meal  of  food 
from  those  who  respect  his  order ; but  he  is  a Brahmin,  and  is 
prouder  of  that  simple  string  over  his  shoulder  and  across  his 
naked  breast  than  any  English  Earl  is  of  his  coronet.  These  men 
laugh  at  such  a mushroom  aristocracy  as  that  of  Britain  or  Trance, 
created  merely  by  the  breath  of  a human  Sovereign,  whose  word 
raises  the  plebeian  to  the  noble  order ; for  the  Brahmin  holds  that 
his  nobility  is  not  an  accident,  but  is  in  the  highest  sense  “by  the 
grace  of  God.”  It  is  in  his  nature,  in  his  blood,  by  the  original 
intention  and  act  of  his  Creator.  He  was  made  and  designed  by 


A Brahmin. 


ORIGIN  OF  CASTE.  23 

God  to  be  different  from  and  higher  than  all  other  men,  and  that 
from  the  first  to  last  of  time. 

How  they  hate  that  republican  Christianity  which  declares  that 
“ God  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men,"  and  that  Gospel 
equality  which  announces  that  saints  “are  one  in  Christ  Jesus,” 
and  that,  having  “all  one  Father,”  “all  we  are  brethren”  in  a 
blessed  communion,  where  no  lofty  pretensions  or  imprescriptable 
rights  are  allowed  to  any,  but  he  that  would  be  greatest  must  be 
the  servant  of  all. 

I have  seen  a person  of  this  class,  on  approaching  a low-caste 
man,  wave  his  right  hand  superciliously  thirty  yards  before  they 
could  meet,  and  so  send  him  off  to  the  other  side  of  the  road.  The 
poor  despised  man  meekly  bowed  and  obeyed  the  haughty  inti- 
mation. No  sacerdotal  tyranny  has  ever  been  so  relentlessly  and 
scornfully  enforced  as  that  of  the  Brahminical  rule,  and  none 
has  been  such  an  unmitigated  curse  to  the  nation  where  it  was 
exercised. 

Caste  is  an  institution  peculiarly  Brahminical.  The  Sanscrit 
word  is  varna,  which  denotes  color — probably  the  ancient  distinc- 
tion between  the  Hindoo  invaders  and  the  aborigines.  Caste,  from 
the  Portuguese  casta,  a breed,  exactly  expresses  the  Brahminical 
idea.  Their  account  of  its  origin,  abridged  from  the  Institutes  of 
Menu,  the  oldest  system  of  law  extant  save  the  Pentateuch,  is  as 
follows : 

“In  order  to  preserve  the  universe,  Brahma  caused  the  Brahmin 
to  proceed  from  his  mouth,  the  Kshatriya  to  proceed  from  his  arm, 
the  Vaisya  to  proceed  from  his  thigh,  and  the  Sndra  to  proceed  from 
his  foot.  And  Brahma  directed  that  the  duties  of  the  Brahmins 
should  be  reading  and  teaching  the  Veda  ; sacrificing,  and  assisting 
others  to  sacrifice ; giving  alms  if  they  be  rich,  and  receiving  alms 
if  they  be  poor.  And  Brahma  directed  that  the  duties  of  the 
Kshatriyas  should  be  to  defend  the  people,  to  give  alms,  to  sacri- 
fice, to  read  the  Veda,  and  to  keep  their  passions  under  control. 
And  he  directed  that  the  duties  of  the  Vaisyas  should  be  to  keep 
herds  of  cattle,  to  give  alms,  to  read  the  Shasters,  to  carry  on 


24 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


trade,  to  lend  money  at  interest,  and  to  cultivate  land.  And  he 
directed  that  the  Sudra  should  serve  all  the  three  mentioned  castes, 
namely,  the  Brahmins,  the  Kshatriyas,  and  the  Vaisyas,  and  that 
he  should  not  depreciate  nor  make  light  of  them.  Since  the  Brah- 
min sprang  from  the  mouth,  which  is  the  most  excellent  part  of 
Brahma,  and  since  he  is  the  first-born  and  possesses  the  Veda,  he 
is  by  right  the  chief  of  the  whole  creation.  Him  Brahma  pro- 
duced from  his  own  mouth,  that  he  might  perform  holy  rites  ; that 
he  might  present  ghee  to  the  gods,  and  cakes  of  rice  to  the  Pitris, 
or  progenitors  of  mankind.” — Code  of  Hindoo  Law , I,  pp.  88,  94. 

The  Bkagvat  Gecta,  their  most  sublime  treatise,  repeats  the  same 
arrangement,  and  makes  their  observance  a condition  of  salvation 
and  moral  perfection.  Each  class  had  thus  a separate  creation, 
constituting  it,  in  fact,  a distinct  species,  involving  a denial  of  the 
doctrine  that  “ God  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  men.”  The 
Hindoos  thus  reject  our  common  humanity,  and  hold  it  to  be 
heresy  to  believe  that  all  men  are  fellow-creatures,  scouting  the 
idea  that  we  should  “ honor  all  men,”  or  “ love  our  neighbors  as 
ourselves.” 

Brahmin  is  a derivative  from  Brahm,  the  Deity,  and  signifies  a 
Theologist  or  Divine.  The  caste  is  analogous  to  the  tribe  of  Levi 
under  the  Mosaic  economy,  but  without  the  family  of  Aaron.  All 
the  benefits  of  the  Hindoo  religion  belong  to  this  class,  and  the 
code  secured  to  them  rights,  honors,  and  immunities  that  no  other 
order  could  claim,  so  that  their  persons  were  to  be  considered 
sacred  and  inviolate,  and  they  could  not  be  held  amenable  to  the 
penalties  of  law  even  for  the  worst  of  crimes.  The  intention  of  the 
legislator  was,  that  from  this  learned  class  alone  the  nation  was  to 
take  its  astronomers,  lawyers,  prime  ministers,  judges,  philosophers, 
as  well  as  priests.  They  were  to  hold  the  highest  offices,  and  to  be 
supreme.  The  Brahmin  is  invested  with  that  sacred  string  of 
three  cotton  strands,  and  the  ceremony  is  called  regeneration,  and 
gives  the  Brahmin  his  claim  to  the  title  of  the  “ twice  born.”  For 
him,  and  for  him  alone,  has  the  law-giver  laid  down  in  detail  the 
duties  of  life,  even  to  his  devotions.  Each  morning  he  may  be 


• J 


■■ 


Brahmins  at  Prayer. 


BRAIIMINICAL  PRAYING.  27 

seen,  as  here  represented,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges  or  other 
" holy”  stream. 

Any  thing  more  singular  and  whimsical  than  the  forms  pre- 
scribed for  him  were  never  enjoined  upon  humanity  as  religious 
ritual.  In  illustration  of  this,  from  a paper  in  the  “Asiatic 
Researches,”  by  Mr.  Colebrook,  as  quoted  by  Dr.  Duff,  we  ask  the 
reader’s  attention  to  the  following  extract.  Speaking  of  the  duties 
of  morning  worship,  one  of  which  is  the  religious  ablution,  as  here 
represented,  “the  Sacred  Books”  strictly  enjoin  as  follows: 

“ He  way  bathe  with  water  drawn  from  a well,  from  a fountain, 
or  from  the  basin  of  a cataract ; but  he  should  prefer  water  which 
lies  above  ground — choosing  a stream  rather  than  stagnant  water, 
a river  in  preference  to  a small  brook,  a holy  stream  before  a 
vulgar  river,  and  above  all  the  water  of  the  Ganges.  If  the 
Ganges  be  beyond  his  reach  he  should  invoke  that  holy  river, 
saying,  ‘ O,  Gunga,  hear  my  prayers ! for  my  sake  be  included  in 
this  small  quantity  of  water  with  the  other  sacred  streams.’  Then, 
standing  in  the  water,  he  must  hallow  his  intended  performance  by 
the  inaudible  recitation  of  certain  sacred  texts.  Next,  sipping 
water  and  sprinkling  some  before  him,  the  worshiper  throws 
water  eight  times  on  the  crown  of  his  head,  on  the  earth,  toward 
the  sky ; again  toward  the  sky,  on  the  earth,  on  the  crown  of  his 
head  ; and  lastly  on  the  ground,  to  destroy  the  demons  who  wage 
war  with  the  gods.  During  the  performance  of  this  act  of  ablu- 
tion he  must  be  reciting  these  prayers  : ■*  O waters  ! since  ye  afford 
delight,  grant  us  present  happiness  and  the  rapturous  sight  of  the 
Supreme  Being.  Like  tender  mothers,  make  us  here  partakers  of 
your  most  auspicious  essence.  We  become  contented  with  your 
essence,  with  which  ye  satisfy  the  universe.  Waters,  grant  it  to 
us.’  Immediately  after  this  first  ablution  he  should  sip  water  with- 
out swallowing  it,  silently  praying.  These  ceremonies  and  prayers 
being  concluded,  he  plunges  thrice  into  the  water,  each  time  repeat- 
ing the  prescribed  expiatory  texts. 

“ He  then  meditates  in  the  deepest  silence.  During  this  moment 
of  intense  devotion  he  is  striving  to  realize  that  ‘ Brahma,  with  four 


28 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


faces  and  £ red  complexion,  resides  in  his  bosom;  Vishnu,  with 
four  arms  and  a black  complexion,  in  his  heart ; and  Shiva,  with 
five  faces  and  a white  complexion,  in  his  forehead  !’  To  this  sub- 
lime meditation  succeeds  a suppression  of  the  breath,  which  is  thus 
performed  : Closing  the  left  nostril  with  the  two  longest  fingers  of 
his  right  hand,  he  draws  his  breath  through  the  right  nostril  ; and 
then,  closing  that  nostril  likewise  with  his  thumb,  he  holds  his  breath, 
while  he  internally  repeats-  to  himself  the  Gayatri,  the  mysterious 
names  of  the  three  worlds,  the  triliteral  monosyllable,  and  the 
sacred  text  of  Brahma ; last  of  all,  he  raises  both  fingers  off  the  left 
nostril,  and  emits  the  breath  he  had  suppressed  through  the  right. 
This  process  being  repeated  three  several  times,  he  must  next 
make  three  ablutions,  with  the  following  prayer  : ‘ As  the  tired  man 
leaves  drops  of  sweat  at  the  foot  of  a tree ; as  he  who  bathes  is 
cleansed  from  all  foulness  ; as  an  oblation  is  sanctified  by  holy 
grass,  so  may  this  water  purify  me  from  sin.’  He  must  next  fill 
the  palm  of  his  hand  with  water,  and,  presenting  it  to  his  nose, 
inhale  the  fluid  by  one  nostril,  and,  retaining  it  for  a while,  exhale 
it  through  the  other,  and  throw  away  the  water  to  the  north-east 
quarter.  This  is  considered  as  an  internal  ablution  which  washes 
away  sin.  He  then  concludes  by  sipping  water  with  the  following 
prayer : ‘ Water ! thou  dost  penetrate  all  beings  ; thou  dost  reach 
the  deep  recesses  of  the  mountains  ; thou  art  the  mouth  of  the 
universe;  thou  art  sacrifice;  thou  art  the  mystic  word  vasha ; 
thou  art  light,  taste,  and  the  immortal  fluid.’” 

After  a variety  of  genuflections  and  prayers,  of  which  these  are 
but  a mere  sample,  he  concludes  his  devotions  by  worshiping  the 
rising  sun.  The  veneration  in  which  the  Brahmin  is  to  be  held 
by  all  classes,  the  privileges  which  he  is  to  enjoy,  his  occupations 
and  modes  of  life,  are  laid  down  with  wonderful  minuteness  in  this 
Code  of  Hindoo  Law.  A mere  sample  of  his  assumptions,  under 
the  head  of  Veneration,  will  suffice:  “The  Brahmin  is  entitled  to 
the  whole  of  the  universe  by  the  right  of  primogeniture.  He  pos- 
sesses the  Veda,  and  is  alone  permitted  to  teach  the  laws.  By  his 
sacrifices  and  imprecations  he  could  destroy  a Rajah  in  a moment, 


PREROGATIVES  OF  THE  BRAHMINS. 


29 


together  with  all  his  troops,  elephants,  horses,  and  chariots.  In 
his  wrath  he  could  frame  new  worlds,  with  new  gods  and  new 
mortals.  A man  who  barely  assaulted  a Brahmin,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  hurting  him,  would  be  whirled  about  for  a century  in  the 
hell  termed  Tarnasa.  He  who  smote  a Brahmin  with  only  a blade 
of  grass,  would  be  born  an  inferior  quadruped  during  twenty-one 
transmigrations.  But  he  who  should  shed  the  blood  of  a Brahmin, 
save  in  battle,  would  be  mangled  by  animals  in  his  next  birth  for 
as  many  years  as  there  were  particles  of  dust  rolled  up  by  the 
blood  shed.  If  a Sudra  (a  low-caste  man)  sat  upon  the  same  seat 
with  a Brahmin,  he  was  to  be  gashed  in  the  part  offending.” — 
Institutes  of  Menu,  I,  94,  etc. 

Thus  a body  of  men,  supposed  to  number  not  more  than  a few 
hundred  thousand,  have  held  the  two  hundred  millions  of  their 
fellow-countrymen  for  thirty  centuries  in  the  terrors  of  this  sacer- 
dotal legislation,  enforcing  its  claims  to  the  last  limit  of  endurance, 
though  at  the  fearful  price  of  the  utter  ignorance,  degradation,  and 
slavery  of  their  nation.  The  reader  can  well  appreciate  the  indig- 
nant feelings  with  which  this  greedy,  proud,  and  supercilious  order 
of  men  contemplated  the  incoming  of  a Christian  Government, 
which  would  make  all  men  “equal  before  the  law,”  and  the  advent 
of  a Religion  whose  great  glory  it  is  to  vindicate  the  oppressed  and 
“ preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor.” 

The  Kshatriya  caste  (derived  from  Kshctra , land)  and  the  Vais- 
yas  (traders)  had  the  privilege  of  the  investiture  with  the  sacred 
string  ; but  to  the  Sudras  there  was  to  be  no  investiture,  no  sacri- 
fice, and  no  Scriptures.  They  were  condemned  by  this  law  to  perpet- 
ual servitude.  Yet  this  class,  with  the  Outcasts,  were  necessarily 
the  great  majority  of  the  nation,  and  those  who  might  have  been 
their  instructors  and  guides,  heartlessly  took  away  the  key  of 
knowledge,  made  it  a legal  crime  to  “teach  them  how  sin  might  be 
expiated,”  and  deliberately  degraded  them  for  time  and  eternity. 
The  Vedas  expressly  state  that  the  benefits  of  the  Hindoo  religion 
are  open  only  to  three  of  the  four  castes ! The  fourth-caste  man 
could  have  no  share  in  religion  and  hold  no  property.  He  was  a 


30 


TIIE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


bondsman,  and  that  forever.  No  system  of  human  slavery  ever 
equaled  this ; for  it  was  intense,  unalterable,  and  unending,  by  the 
act  of  God  himself 

The  distinctions  of  society,  by  the  ordinances  of  the  Hindoo 
Lawgiver,  were  thus  indicated  : Brahmins,  or  Priests ; Kshatriyas, 
or  Soldiers  and  Rajahs ; Vaisyas,  or  Merchants  and  Farmers ; 
Sudras,  the  servile  class. 

The  arrangements  indicate  a pastoral  condition  of  society,  far 
removed  from  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  life  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. The  ordinances  made  no  preparation  for  the  wider  wants  of 
men  or  intercommunication  of  other  nations,  or  the  development 
of  our  race.  They  had  no  provision  for  manufacturing,  mining,  or 
commercial  life,  but  expected  the  world  to  move  on  forever  in  their 
limited  conservative  methods.  These  four  castes  were  subdivided, 
according  to  the  theory,  into  sixty-four,  and  in  the  grooves  thus 
opened  the  divisions  of  labor  were  expected  to  run,  so  that  even 
trade  should  become  hereditary  ; and  thus,  whatever  the  gerpus  or 
ability  developed  in  any  man,  he  was  expected  to  be  content  to 
remain  in  the  profession  of  his  father.  fie  might  have  the  germ 
and  the  buddings  of  a mind  like  Newton’s,  but,  according  to  “their 
cast-iron  rules  of  social  life,  if  his  father  made  shoes  he  too  must 
stick  to  the  last.” 

No  man  of  one  caste  can  eat,  smoke,  marry  with,  or  touch  the  cook- 
ing-vessels of  a person  of  another  caste.  The  prohibition  is  fear- 
fully strict,  and  guarded  with  terrible  sanctions.  And  it  is  as  des- 
titute of  humanity  as  it  is  singular ; so  that,  were  a stranger  of  their 
own  nation,  coming  into  one  of  their  towns,  to  be  taken  suddenly 
ill,  and  unable  to  speak  and  explain  of  what  caste  he  was,  he  would 
certainly  be  liable  to  perish,  for  the  high-caste  people  would  be 
afraid  to  touch  him,  lest  they  should  break  their  caste,  and  those  of 
the  low-caste  would  be  unwilling,  lest  their  contact  (on  the  suppo- 
sition of  his  superior  order)  might  irrecoverably  contaminate  him. 
In  their  hands  the  man  would  perish  unaided. 

This  unique  masterpiece  of  Brahminism  was  intended  by  its 
framers  to  be  a wall  of  brass  around  their  system,  to  secure  its  unal- 


BRA  ILVimCAL  INVESTITURE. 


31 


terable  permanency.  But,  its  own  heartless  selfishness  and  cruel 
tendencies  had  so  far  overdone  the  work  that  it  was  found  practi- 
cally impossible  to  sustain  the  integrity  of  the  arrangements.  Inno- 
vations crept  in  and  conflicts  ensued,  and,  despite  the  desperate 
efforts  of  the  Brahmins,  confusion  has  marred  Menu’s  strange 
designs,  while  the  introduction  of  Western  civilization,  the  teach- 
ings of  Christianity,  and  the  light  of  true  knowledge,  have  delivered 
such  severe  and  repeated  shocks  that  the  venerable  and  hideous 
monstrosity  is  tottering  to  its  final  fall. 

Four  Stages  of  Life  are  marked  out  by  Menu  for  the  Brahmin : 
r.  The  Brahmachari,  or  Studentship  of  the  Veda;  2.  The  Gri/ias- 
tka,  or  Married  State;  3.  The  Vauaprast/ea,  or  Hermit  Life;  4.  The 
Sannyasi , or  Devotee  Condition. 

The  Brahmachari  stage  begins  with  the  investiture  of  the  sacred 
thread,  which  act  signifies  “ a second  birth.”  The  investiture  takes 
place  in  his  eighth  year  in  case  of  a Brahmin,  the  eleventh  year 
for  a Kshatriya,  and  the  twelfth  for  a Vaisya.  The  investiture 
introduces  the  “twice-born”  Brahmin  boy  to  a religious  life,  and  is 
supposed  to  sanctify  him  for  the  study  of  the  Veda. 

The  thread  of  the  Brahmin  is  made  of  cotton  and  formed  of 
three  strings  ; that  of  the  Kshatriya  is  made  of  hemp,  and  that  of 
the  Vaisya  is  of  wool.  It  is  termed  the  “ sacrificial  cord,”  because 
it  entitles  the  wearer  to  the  privilege  of  sacrifice  and  religious 
services.  Certain  ceremonies  are  observed  for  girls  as  well  as  for 
boys,  but  neither  girls  nor  women  are  invested  with  the  sacred 
thread  nor  the  utterance  of  the  sacred  mantras.  They  have  con- 
sequently no  right  to  sacrifice.  Indeed,  the  nuptial  ceremony  is 
considered  to  be  for  woman  equivalent  to  the  investiture  of  the 
thread,  and  is  the  commencement  of  the  religious  life  of  the 
female,  (Menu,  II,  66,  67.)  So  that,  a lady  remaining  unmarried, 
has  nothing  equivalent  to  their  “ second  birth  ” here,  and  can  look 
forward  to  no  certainty  of  a happy  life  hereafter.  The  poor  Sudra 
is  entirely  excluded.  Thus,  the  Servile  Man  and  the  unmarried 
woman  of  any,  even  the  highest,  caste  are  equally  left  outside  the 
pale  of  Brahminical  salvation — exactly  that  condition  to  which 


32 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


High-Church  Puseyism  consigns  all  “Dissenters”  when  they  hand 
them  over  to  “ the  uncovenanted  mercies  of  God.” 

In  addition  to  the  exclusion  of  woman  and  the  lower  caste,  this 
terrible  Code  proceeds  to  sink  still  deeper  vast  multitudes  of  their 
fellow-creatures.  The  “ Outcasts  ” are  numbered  by  the  million. 
Some  of  these  are  called  “ Chandalas,”  and  concerning  them  this 
heartless  and  cruel  Lawgiver  ordains : “ Chandalas  must  dwell 
without  the  town.  Their  sole  wealth  must  be  dogs  and  asses  ; their 
clothes  must  consist  of  the  mantles  of  deceased  persons  ; their 
dishes  must  be  broken  pots,  and  their  ornaments  must  consist  of 
rusty  iron.  No  one  who  regards  his  duties  must  hold  any  inter- 
course with  them,  and  they  must  marry  only  among  themselves. 
By  day  they  may  roam  about  for  the  purposes  of  work,  and  be  dis- 
tinguished by  the  badges  of  the  Rajah ; and  they  must  carry  out 
the  corpse  of  any  one  who  dies  without  kindred.  They  should 
always  be  employed  to  slay  those  who  are  sentenced  by  the  laws  to 
be  put  to  death  ; and  they  may  take  the  clothes  of  the  slain,  jtheir 
beds,  and  their  ornaments.” — Code,  X,  51-58. 

Can  the  Western  reader  wonder  that,  tame  and  subdued  though 
the  Asiatics  may  be,  these  aristocratic  ordinances  should  have 
proved  too  much  for  human  nature,  or  that  the  introduction  of 
English  rule  and  fair  play,  elevating  these  long-crushed  millions  to 
legal  equality  with  these  proud  Brahmins,  was  an  immense  mercy 
to  nearly  one  sixth  of  the  human  family. 

As  a sample  of  how  this  sacerdotal  law,  framed  for  his  special 
glorification,  discriminated  in  favor  of  the  Brahmin,  it  may  suffice 
to  quote  a sentence  or  two.  On  the  question  of  his  privileges  when 
called  to  testify  in  a Court  of  Justice,  he  must  be  assumed  to  be 
the  “very  soul  of  honor,”  and  his  oath,  without  exposure  to  pen- 
alty, was  to  be  held  sufficient.  The  Code  decreed  that  “ A Brah- 
min was  to  swear  by  his  veracity  ; a Kshatriya  by  his  weapons, 
horse,  or  elephant  ; and  a Vaisya  by  his  kine,  grain,  or  gold  ; but 
a Sudra  was  to  imprecate  upon  his  own  head  the  guilt  of  every 
possible  crime  if  he  did  not  speak  the  truth.” — VIII,  113.  “'I'o 

a Brahmin  the  Judge  should  say,  ‘Declare;’  to  a Kshatriya  he 


DISCRIMINATIONS  IN  TIIE  BRAHMIN'S  FAVOR. 


33 


should  say,  ‘ Declare  the  truth  to  the  Vaisya  he  should  compare 
perjury  to  the  crime  of  stealing  kine,  grain,  or  gold  ; to  the  Sudra 
he  should  compare  perjury  to  every  crime  in  the  following  lan- 
guage : ‘ Whatever  places  of  torture  have  been  prepared  for  the 
murderer  of  a Brahmin,  for  the  murderer  of  a woman,  or  child, 
have  also  been  ordained  for  that  witness  who  gives  false  evidence. 
If  you  deviate  from  the  truth  you  shall  go  naked,  shorn,  and  blind, 
and  be  tormented  with  hunger  and  thirst,  and  beg  food  with  a pot- 
sherd at  the  door  of  your  enemy  ; or  shall  tumble  headlong  into 
hell  in  utter  darkness.  Even  if  you  give  imperfect  testimony,  and 
assert  a fact  which  you  have  not  seen,  you  shall  suffer  pain  like  a 
man  who  eats  fish  and  swallows  the  sharp  bones.” — Menu , VIII, 
79-95- 

The  scale  of  punishments  in  the  case  of  a Brahmin  (in  the  few 
instances  where  he  was  at  all  amenable  to  the  law  it  could  only 
touch  his  property,  never,  under  any  consideration,  his  person)  was 
equally  drawn  in  his  favor,  and  was  all  the  lighter  in  proportion  to 
the  inferiority  of  caste  of  the  man  whom  he  had  injured  ; while,  on 
the  other  hand,  it  was  equally  to  be  increased  in  severity  (for  the 
same  crime  in  both  cases)  in  proportion  to  the  same  distinction. 
Says  the  law,  “ A Kshatriya  who  slandered  a Brahmin  was  to  be 
fined  a hundred  panas  ; for  the  same  crime  a Vaisya  was  to  be 
fined  a hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  panas  ; but  a Sudra  was 
to  be  whipped.”  On  the  other  hand,  if  a Brahmin  slandered  a 
Kshatriya  “ he  was  to  be  fined  fifty  panas  ; if  he  slandered  a Vaisya 
he  was  to  be  fined  twenty-five  panas  ; but  if  he  slandered  a Sudra 
he  was  only  to  be  fined  twelve  panas.  If,  however,  a Sudra  insulted 
any  man  of  the  twice-born  castes  with  gross  invectives,  he  was  to 
have  his  tongue  slit  ; if  he  mentioned  the  name  and  caste  of  the 
individual  with  contumely,  an  iron  style,  ten  fingers  long,  was  to  be 
made  red-hot  and  thrust  into  his  mouth  ; and  if,  through  pride,  he 
dared  to  instruct  a Brahmin  respecting  his  duty,  the  Rajah  was  to 
order  that  hot  oil  should  be  poured  into  his  mouth  and  ear.” — 
Menu,  VIII,  266-276. 

The  “ pana  ” was  then  nearly  equal  to  our  cent,  so  his  privilege 


34 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


of  slandering  a Sudra  could  at  any  time  be  exercised  with  impunity 
for  a dime,  while,  if  it  was  so  done  unto  him,  the  law  took  good  care 
that  the  plebeian  wretch  should  never  repeat  the  offense,  for  his 
tongue  was  to  be  slit.  How  truly  could  the  Almighty,  whose 
name  they  blasphemously  invoke  for  their  outrageous  legislation, 
say  of  them,  “ Are  not  your  ways  unequal  ? ” 

Even  in  salutations  the  Code  ordained  the  forms,  and  gave  them 
a religious  significance.  “ A Brahmin  was  to  be  asked  whether 
his  devotion  had  prospered,  a Kshatriya  whether  he  had  suffered 
from  his  wounds,  a Vaisya  whether  his  wealth  was  secure,  and  a 
Sudra  whether  he  was  in  good  health.” — Menu,  II,  127. 

The  food,  the  privileges,  the  duties,  of  this  pampered  monopolist 
are  all  minutely  laid  down  in  the  Code,  but  they  are  too  diffuse  and 
too  childish  to  place  before  the  reader,  and  would  not  be  worth  the 
space  occupied.  In  proof  of  this  I quote  one  sentence  from  the 
fourth  chapter,  merely  remarking  that  the  whimsical  injunctions 
are  left  without  any  rhyme  or  reason.  They  are  as  unaccountable 
as  they  are  singular.  “ He  (the  Brahmin)  must  not  gaze  on  the 
sun  while  rising  or  setting,  or  eclipsed  or  reflected  in  water  ; he 
must  not  run  while  it  rains  ; he  must  not  look  on  his  own  image 
in  water  ; when  he  sees  the  bow  of  Indra  in  the  sky  he  must  not 
show  it  to  any  man  ; he  must  not  step  over  a string  to  which  a 
calf  is  tied  ; and  he  must  not  wash  his  feet  in  a pan  of  mixed 
metal.” 

In  these  stages  of  its  development  and  claims,  Brahminism  is 
nothing  less  than  a system  of  supreme  selfishness,  and  was  worthy 
of  the  express  teaching  with  which  the  Brahmin  was  directed,  in  an 
emergency,  to  sacrifice  every  thing  to  his  own  precious  self,  in  the 
following  rule  : “Against  misfortune  let  him  preserve  his  wealth  ; 
at  the  expense  of  his  wealth  let  him  preserve  his  wife  ; but  let  him 
at  all  events  preserve  himself,  even  at  the  hazard  of  his  wife  and 
riches.” 

How  little  can  such  a religion  or  such  a law  know  of  disin- 
terested affection,  or  of  that  devotion  which  would  risk  every  thing 
for  the  safety  and  happiness  of  its  beloved  object  ? 


THIRD  STAGE  OF  THE  BRAnMIN'S  LIFE.  35 

His  student  life  ended,  the  Brahmin  commences  his  married 
existence  with  forms  and  rules  which  will  be  referred  to  when  we 
come  to  speak  of  the  condition  of  woman  under  Hindoo  law.  In 
this  second  stage  of  his  life  he  is  required  to  have  “ his  hair  and 
beard  properly  trimmed,  his  passions  subdued,  and  his  mantle 
white  ; he  is  to  carry  a staff  of  Venu,  a ewer  with  water  in  it,  a 
handful  of  Kusa  grass,  or  a copy  of  the  Vedas,  with  a pair  of 
bright  golden  rings  in  his  cars,  ready  to  give  instruction  in  the 
sacred  books,  or  political  counsel,  and  to  administer  justice.” 

Then  in  order  would  come  the  third  and  fourth  stages  of  his  life, 
the  rules  of  which  are  so  unique.  Such  an  amazing  contrast  to 
the  unbounded  privileges  of  the  previous  stages,  and  withal  so 
little  like  what  ordinary  humanity  would  impose  upon  itself,  that 
we  must  quote  them  for  the  information  of  the  reader.  These  two 
stages  express  the  very  essence  of  Brahminism.  In  the  Hermit 
stage,  the  theory  is  a course  of  life  that  will  mortify  the  passions 
and  extinguish  desire  ; this  being  accomplished,  the  last  order,  or 
Devotee  stage,  is  religious  contemplation  with  the  view  to  final 
beatitude. 

Menu  says,  “ When  the  twice-born  man  has  remained  in  the 
order  of  Grihastha,  or  householder,  until  his  muscles  become  flaccid 
and  his  hair  gray,  and  he  sees  a child  of  his  child,  let  him  abandon 
his  household  and  repair  to  the  forest,  and  dwell  there  in  the  order 
of  Vanaprastha,  or  Hermit.  He  should  be  accompanied  by  his 
wife  if  she  choose  to  attend  him,  but  otherwise  he  should  commit 
her  to  the  care  of  his  sons.  He  should  take  with  him  the  conse- 
crated fire,  and  all  the  domestic  implements  for  making  oblations 
to  fire,  and  there  dwell  in  the  forest,  with  perfect  control  over  all 
his  organs.  Day  by  day  he  should  perform  the  five  sacraments. 
He  should  wear  a black  antelope’s  hide,  or  a vesture  of  bark,  and 
bathe  morning  and  evening  ; he  should  suffer  his  nails  and  the 
hair  of  his  head  and  beard  to  grow  continually.  He  should  be 
constantly  engaged  in  reading  the  Veda  ; he  should  be  patient  in 
all  extremities  ; he  should  be  universally  benevolent,  and  entertain 
a tender  affection  for  all  living  creatures  ; his  mind  should  be  ever 


36 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


intent  upon  the  Supreme  Being  ; he  should  slide  backward  and 
forward,  or  stand  a whole  day  on  tiptoe,  or  continue  in  motion  by 
rising  and  sitting  alternately  ; but  every  day,  at  sunrise,  at  noon, 
and  at  sunset,  he  should  go  to  the  waters  and  bathe.  In  the  hot 
season  he  should  sit  exposed  to  five  fires,  namely  : four  blazing 
around  him,  while  the  sun  is  burning  above  him.  In  the  rainy 
season  he  should  stand  uncovered,  without  even  a mantle,  while 
the  clouds  pour  down  their  heaviest  showers.  In  the  cold  season 
he  should  wear  damp  vesture.  He  should  increase  the  austerity 
of  his  devotion  by  degrees,  until  by  enduring  harsher  and  harsher 
mortifications  he  has  dried  up  his  bodily  frame.” — Code,  VI,  22  ; 
Vishnu  Pur  ana,  III,  9,  etc. 

As  regards  the  life  to  be  pursued  by  a Sannyasi,  Menu  lays 
down  the  following  directions  : 

“ When  a Brahmin  has  thus  lived  in  the  forest  during  the  third 
portion  of  his  life  as  a Vanaprastha,  he  should  for  the  fourth  por- 
tion of  it  become  a Sannyasi,  and  abandon  all  sensual  affections, 
and  repose  wholly  in  the  Supreme  Spirit.  The  glory  of  that 
Brahmin  who  passes  from  the  order  of  Grihastha  to  that  of  San- 
nyasi illuminates  the  higher  worlds.  He  should  take  an  earthen 
water-pot,  dwell  at  the  roots  of  large  trees,  wear  coarse  vesture, 
abide  in  total  solitude,  and  exhibit  a perfect  equanimity  toward  all 
creatures.  He  should  wish  neither  for  death  nor  for  life,  but 
expect  his  appointed  time,  as  a hired  servant  expects  his  wages. 
He  should  look  down  as  he  advances  his  foot,  lest  he  should  touch 
any  thing  impure.  He  should  drink  water  that  has  been  purified 
by  straining  through  a cloth,  lest  he  hurt  an  insect.  He  should 
bear  a reproachful  speech  with  patience,  and  speak  reproachfully  to 
no  man  ; and  he  should  never  utter  a word  relating  to  vain,  illusory 
things.  He  should  delight  in  meditating  upon  the  Supreme  Spirit, 
and  sit  fixed  in  such  meditation,  without  needing  any  thing  earthly, 
without  one  sensual  desire,  and  without  any  companion  but  his 
own  soul. 

“ He  should  only  ask  for  food  once  a day,  and  that  should  be  in 
the  evening,  when  the  smoke  of  the  kitchen  fires  has  ceased,  when 


LAST  STAGE  OF  A BRAHMIN'S  LIFE. 


37 


the  pestle  lies  motionless,  and  the  burning  charcoal  is  extinguished  ; 
when  people  have  eaten,  and  when  dishes  are  removed.  If  he  fail 
to  obtain  food  he  should  not  be  sorrowful ; if  he  succeed  in  obtain- 
ing it  he  should  not  be  glad.  He  should  only  care  to  obtain  a suf- 
ficiency to  support  life,  and  he  should  not  be  anxious  about  his 
utensils.” 

As  to  the  character  of  his  thoughts  : “ A Sannyasi  should  reflect 
on  the  transmigrations  of  men,  which  are  caused  by  their  sinful  deeds  ; 
on  their  downfall  into  a region  of  darkness,  and  their  torments  in 
the  mansions  of  Yama,  (the  God  of  the  dead  ;)  on  their  separation 
from  those  whom  they  love,  and  their  union  with  those  whom  they 
hate  ; on  their  strength  being  overpowered  by  old  age,  and  their 
bodies  racked  with  disease  ; on  their  agonizing  departure  from  this 
corporeal  frame,  and  their  formation  again  in  the  womb  ; on  the 
misery  attached  to  embodied  spirits  from  a violation  of  their  duties, 
and  the  imperishable  bliss  which  attaches  to  embodied  spirits  who 
have  abundantly  performed  every  duty. 

“ The  body  is  a mansion,  with  bones  for  its  rafters  and  beams, 
with  nerves  and  tendons  for  cords,  with  muscles  and  blood  for 
mortar,  with  skin  for  its  outward  covering,  and  filled  with  no  sweet 
perfumes,  but  loaded  with  refuse.  It  is  a mansion  infested  by  age 
and  by  sorrow,  the  seat  of  diseases,  harassed  by  pains,  haunted  with 
the  quality  of  darkness,  and  incapable  of  standing  long.  Such  a 
mansion  of  the  vital  soul  should  always  be  quitted  with  cheerful- 
ness by  its  occupier.” — Institutes  of  Hindoo  Law,  VI,  76,  77. 

When  you  look  around  and  inquire  for  these  self-denying  re- 
cluses, with  their  sublime  superiority  to  the  things  of  earth  and  the 
wants  and  wishes  of  the  human  heart,  you  will  not  find  them  ; cer- 
tainly not  among  the  Brahmins.  Few  of  these  have  ever  adopted 
in  reality  a life  so  like  that  of  the  Yogee,  or  Self-torturer.  All 
testimony  goes  to  show  that  Menu’s  ordinances  for  the  third  and 
fourth  stages  of  the  Brahmin’s  life  have  lain  in  his  law-book  with 
not  one  Brahmin  in  ten  thousand  even  commencing  to  make  them 
a reality  of  human  experience.  It  was  too  much  for  humanity,  and 
could  only  be  embraced  by  some  fanatic  of  a Fakir,  who  would 


38 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


voluntarily  assume  such  a condition  for  self-righteous  and  self- 
glorifying  ends.  Such  men  can  and  will  do,  for  such  reasons,  what 
other  men  have  not  nerve  enough  to  adventure  merely  in  obedience 
to  the  theoretic  rules  of  their  order. 

The  Brahmins  would  fain  be  regarded  as  the  learned  class  of 
India.  Of  course  there  was  a time  when,  in  the  earlier  ages  of 
the  world,  they  were  so,  as  compared  to  men  in  other  nations. 
No  scholar  can  doubt  this  for  a moment.  But  the  world  and 
education  are  no  longer  what  they  once  werej  both  have  advanced 
amazingly,  while  the  Brahmin  has  not  only  stood  still,  but  he 
has  retrograded.  The  ruins  of  India’s  colleges,  observatories, 
and  scientific  instruments,  especially  in  Benares,  (once  “ the  eye 
of  Hindustan,”)  convince  the  traveler  too  painfully  of  this  fact. 
Even  there,  in  that  renowned  city,  there  is  not  a single  public 
building  devoted  to,  or  containing,  the  treasures  of  India’s  arts, 
sciences,  or  literature ; no  paintings,  sculptures,  or  libraries  ; no 
colleges  of  learning,  no  museums  of  her  curiosities  ; no  monuments 
of  her  great  men  ; only  beastly  idolatry,  filthy  fakirs,  shrines  of 
vileness  without  number,  and  festivals  of  saturnalian  license,  all 
sustained  and  illustrated  by  a selfish  and  ignorant  Brahminhood. 

Their  learning  is  in  the  past,  and  little  remains  save  their  great 
Epics  and  the  magnificent  dead  Language  in  which  they  were  writ- 
ten. Their  chronology  is  a wild  and  exaggerated  falsehood,  their 
geography  and  astronomy  are  subjects  of  ridicule  to  every  school- 
boy, their  astrology  (to  which  they  are  specially  devoted)  a humbug 
for  deluding  their  countrymen  ; they  had  no  true  history  till 
foreigners  wrote  it  for  them,  and  could  not  even  read  the  Pali  on 
their  own  public  monuments  till  such  Englishmen  as  Princeps  and 
Tytler  deciphered  it.  Native  education  to-day  owes  more  to 
Macaulay,  Dr.  Duff,  and  Trevelyan,  than  to  all  the  Brahmins  of 
India  for  the  past  five  hundred  years.  Every  improvement  intro- 
duced, and  every  mitigation  of  the  miseries  in  the  lot  of  woman, 
and  of  the  lower  and  suffering  classes,  has  been  introduced  against 
their  will  and  without  their  aid  as  a class.  They  feel,  they  know, 
that  their  system  is  more  or  less  effete  ; that  they  are  being  left 


. 


c 


BRAHMIMSM  A BEAD  FAILURE. 


4' 


behind  in  the  march  of  improvement  on  which  their  country  has 
entered.  But  there  they  stand,  scowling  and  twirling  their  Brah- 
minical  string;  while  the  Sudras  and  the  very  “Chandalas,”  whom 
they  tried  so  hard  to  doom  to  eternal  degradation,  are  obtaining  in 
Government  and  Missionary  schools  a sanctified  scholarship,  which 
is  soon  to  consign  the  claims  and  pretensions  of  this  venerable, 
haughty,  and  heartless  aristocracy  to  the  everlasting  contempt 
which  they  deserve ! One  by  one,  in  their  ridiculous  helplessness, 
they  behold  their  strong  places  taken  and  wrested  from  their 
grasp.  The  very  Veda  in  which  they  gloried,  and  behind  which 
they  falsely  defended  the  vileness  and  cruelty  of  their  system,  has 
been  magnificently  collated  and  published  in  eight  volumes  by 
the  scholarship  of  Max  Muller,  and  then  rendered,  with  equal 
ability,  (the  last  volume  having  been  published  within  the  past 
five  years,)  into  English  by  Wilson  & Cowell.  So  that  all  the 
world  may  now  know  what  the  Veda  is,  and  what  it  teaches,  and. 
thus  hold  these  unworthy  guardians  of  it  to  the  fearful  responsi- 
bility which  they  have  incurred,  in  pretending  to  quote  its  authority 
for  the  abominations  which  characterize  their  modern  Hindooism, 
with  all  its  grievous  wrongs  against  woman  in  particular,  and 
against  the  interests  of  their  own  nation,  as  well  as  its  violation  of 
the  common  sense  and  judgment  of  mankind,  for  whose  opinions, 
however,  the  Brahmins  of  India  never  showed  the  least  respect. 

We  now  turn  from  them  to  introduce  the  reader  to  one  of  the 
ladies  of  the  land. 

The  opposite  picture  is  from  a photograph  for  which  this  lady, 
Zahore  Begum,  of  Seereenugger,  consented  to  sit.  As  her  face 
had  to  be  seen  by  the  artist,  the  concession  was  a very  singular 
one  for  any  lady  of  her  race.  It  was  done  to  gratify  the  Oueen  of 
England,  who,  on  the  assumption  of  the  direct  sovereignty  of  India 
— on  the  abolition  of  the  East  India  Company  in  1859 — requested 
that  photographs  of  the  people,  and  their  various  races,  trades,  and 
professions,  might  be-  taken  and  sent  to  her.  Her  Majesty  gra- 
ciously consented  to  have  her  valuable  collection  copied,  and  by 

the  courtesy  of  Captain  Meadows  Taylor,  the  Oriental  author,  the 

3 


42 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


writer  obtained  copies  of  this  and  several  others  of  much  value, 
which  will  appear  in  these  pages. 

My  readers  have,  therefore,  before  them  a faithful  picture  of  a 
Hindoo  lady  of  the  highest  rank,  as  she  appears  in  her  Zenana 
home,  under  the  best  circumstances,  having  made  herself  as  attract- 
ive as  silk,  and  muslin,  and  cashmere  cloth,  and  a profusion  of 
jewelry,  can  render  her.  In  the  jewel  on  the  thumb  of  the  left 
hand  there  is  inserted  a small  looking-glass,  of  which  the  fair  lady 
makes  good  use.  The  usual  gold  ring,  strung  with  pearls,  is  in  her 
nose,  lying  against  her  left  cheek ; and  her  forehead,  ears,  arms, 
fingers,  ankles,  and  toes  are  crowded  with  jewelry  and  tinkling 
ornaments,  the  sounds  of  which  proclaim  her  presence  and  ap- 
proach always. 

The  wood-cut  does  no  justice  to  her  warm  olive  color,  many  of 
them  being  even  almost  fair.  Most  of  them  have  a figure  of  great 
beauty,  and  a natural  elegance  of  movement  which  their  drapery 
and  rich  clothing  well  become.  But  the  mind  is  totally  neglected. 
In  fact,  until  lately,  when  a gleam  of  light  has  begun  to  shine  for 
women  in  the  Land  of  the  Veda,  it  might  be  said,  without  qualifica- 
tion, that  no  part  of  an  American  definition  of  education  would 
apply  to  the  culture  under  which  a daughter  of  India  is  fitted  for 
future  life.  It  does  not,  for  her,  include  reading,  or  writing,  or  his- 
tory, or  science,  or  aught  else  which  we  include  in  its  meaning. 
Education,  in  its  proper  sense,  is  denied  to  the  females  of  India  ; 
denied  on  principle,  and  for  reasons  which  are  unblushingly  avowed, 
and  all  of  which  are  reflections  upon  her  womanly  nature — one  of 
them  being  the  position  that  education  in  the  hands  of  a woman 
would  most  likely  become  an  instrument  of  evil  power.  She  is 
deliberately  doomed  by  modern  Hindooism  to  a life  of  ignorance 
because  she  is  a woman. 

We  have  mentioned  the  present  dawn  of  a better  day.  It  is  but 
the  dawn.  Dr.  Mullen’s  statistics  tell  us  that  already  there  are 
now  thirty-nine  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-seven  women  and 
girls  receiving  an  education  in  the  Zenana  schools  in  India.  The 
number  is  by  this  time  larger  and  still  increasing.  Yet  it  is  but 


The  Nauch  Girl  of  India. 


THE  LADIES  OF  INDIA. 


45 


the  commencement ; for  the  above  number,  dividing  the  one  hun- 
dred millions  of  women  in  India,  gives  but  one  in  two  thousand 
five  hundred  and  twenty-two  who  are  receiving  instruction,  a num- 
ber equal  only  to  what  this  country  would  have  to-day  were  but 
one  American  lady  in  five  hundred  and  four  blessed  with  education. 
What  need  is  there,  then,  to  urge  on  the  glorious  toil  of  rescuing 
India’s  daughters  from  the  intellectual  abominations  which  desolate 
their  soul  and  mind  in  this  fearful  manner! 

The  sad  story  of  the  wrongs  of  woman  in  India  will  be  told  after 
we  have  traced  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  great  Rebellion  ; for  the 
mitigations  of  her  condition,  which  Christian  law  had  in  mercy 
enforced,  were  then  put  forward  by  her  Brahminical  oppressors  as 
one  of  the  reasons  why  they  had  renounced  their  allegiance  to 
Brit'sh  rule. 

But  there  is  one  class  of  women,  and  it  is  a very  large  class,  in 
India,  who  are  under  no  such  restrictions  and  jealous  seclusion  as 
the  lady  on  the  former  page.  These  court  publicity,  and  you  can 
see  them  every-where.  This  order  of  females  are  released  from 
the  doom  of  an  illiterate  mind.  They  can  read,  write,  and  quote 
the  poets,  and  jest  with  the  conundrums  and  “wise  saws"  of  the 
land.  The  writer  has  known  of  attempts  made  by  this  class  of 
girls  to  enter  our  schools  in  order  to  add  the  English  tongue  to 
their  acquisitions,  to  be  used  by  them  for  the  worst  of  purposes. 
These  are  the  “ Nauch  Girls,”  a portrait  of  one  of  whom,  from  a 
photograph,  is  here  given  as  she  appears  in  public. 

Their  title  means  dancing-girls.  No  man  in  India  would  allow 
his  wife  or  daughter  to  dance,  and  as  to  dancing  with  another  man, 
he  would  forsake  her  forever,  as  a woman  lost  to  virtue  and  mod- 
esty, if  she  were  to  attempt  it.  In  their  observation  of  white 
women,  there  is  nothing  that  so  much  perplexes  them  as  the  fact 
that  fathers  and  husbands  will  permit  their  wives  and  daughters  to 
indulge  in  promiscuous  dancing.  No  argument  will  convince  them 
that  the  act  is  such  as  a virtuous  female  should  practice,  or  that  its 
tendency  is  not  licentious.  The  prevalence  of  the  practice  in 
“Christian”  nations  makes  our  holy  religion — which  they  suppose 


46 


TIIE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


must  allow  it — to  be  abhorred  by  many  of  them,  and  often  it  is  east 
in  the  teeth  of  our  missionaries  when  preaching  to  them.  But 
what  would  these  heathen  say  could  they  enter  our  operas  and 
theaters,  and  see  the  shocking  exposure  of  their  persons  which  our 
public  women  there  present  before  mixed  assemblies?  Yet  they 
would  be  ten  times  more  astonished  that  ladies  of  virtue  and  repu- 
tation should  be  found  there,  accompanied  by  their  daughters,  to 
witness  the  sight,  and  that,  too,  in  the  presence  of  the  other  sex ! 
But,  then,  they  are  only  heathens,  and  don’t  appreciate  the  high 
accomplishments  of  Christian  civilization  ! Still,  Heaven  grant  that 
the  future  Church  of  India  may  ever  retain  at  least  this  item  of  the 
prejudices  of  their  forefathers!  Dancing  forms,  then,  no  part  of  a 
daughter’s  education  in  India,  and  it  probably  never  will,  that  is, 
unless  they  become  corrupted  by  “ Christian”  example. 

All  of  that  sort  of  thing  that  they  ever  desire,  on  occasions  of 
festivals  and  ceremonies,  they  hire  from  the  temples  and  bazaars. 
Four  or  five  of  these  women,  tricked  out  in  all  their  finery  and 
jewelry,  and  tinkling  ornaments  on  arms,  necks,  and  feet,  will,  for 
four  or  five  dollars,  dance  and  jest,  and  sing  India’s  licentious  songs 
for  hours  ; but  even  they  don’t  dance  except  with  their  own  sex. 
They  are  prostitutes,  and  yet  they  are  undoubtedly  the  only  intel- 
ligent and  cultivated  class  of  Hindoo  women.  So  that  the  profane 
and  debased  have  a monopoly  of  education,  while  the  virtuous  and 
retiring  ladies  of  the  land  are  condemned  to  a life  of  ignorance. 
Such  is  woman  in  India  as  to  her  mind. 

Until  within  a few  years  this  fearful  barrier  to  woman’s  educa- 
tion stood  sternly  across  the  path  of  the  missionary.  A change,  in 
the  great  mercy  of  Heaven,  is  dawning  at  last  even  upon  India  ; 
but  as  recently  as  ten  years  ago,  when  you  spoke  to  a Hindoo 
father  about  educating  his  daughter,  the  ideas  that  are  here  clearly 
enough  intimated  at  once  presented  themselves  to  his  mind,  and 
your  proposal  seemed  to  him  to  be  almost  profane,  as  he  thought, 
“Would  you  make  my  daughter  a Nauch  girl  ?”  The  Temple  of 
Knowledge,  with  its  sacred  flame,  no  longer  guarded  by  the  Vestal 
Virgins,  seemed  resigned  absolutely  to  the  control  and  occupation 


The  Maharajah  Duleep  Singh. 


THE  N AUCII  GIRLS. 


49 


of  those  polluted  beings,  whose  profession  and  blandishments  are 
exerted  to 

“ Make  vice  pleasing  and  damnation  shine,” 

but  whose  guests  are  in  the  depths  of  hell. 

We  next  present  to  the  reader  one  of  the  upper  class  of  Hindoo 
society  just  as  he  would  appear  at  a “ Durbar,”  or  State  ceremonial, 
or  in  receiving  guests  at  his  palace,  or  in  connection  with  some 
public  display. 

The  dress  of  a gentleman  in  India  is  regulated  as  to  its  quality 
by  his  wealth  and  position,  and  in  its  variations  of  form  by  his 
creed  and  locality  ; but  the  Maharajah  costume  here  shown  may 
be  regarded  generally  as  that  of  his  countrymen. 

Their  dress  is  free  and  flowing,  adapted  to  the  climate,  and 
leaving  to  the  limbs  a greater  freedom  of  action,  with  more  circula- 
tion of  air,  than  the  American  style  of  dress  can  ever  know.  Al- 
though to  our  imagination  it  appears  somewhat  effeminate  in  its 
aspect,  yet  it  is  eminently  graceful  and  becoming  to  the  wearers, 
as  any  one  who  has  seen  a company  of  Hindoo  gentlemen  together 
will  have  observed.  There  is  something  so  conservative  and  bib- 
lical in  the  aspect  of  it,  that  you  feel  at  once  that  the  fluctuations 
of  the  fashions  can  have  no  influence  upon  it.  Here  is  something 
that  is  at  once  suitable  and  unchanging — a style  of  comfort  and 
elegance  which  the  past  five  hundred  years  has  not  varied,  and 
which  will  probably  remain  unaltered  when  five  hundred  more 
years  have  passed  away. 

The  dress  here  represented  shows  a vest  of  “ Kinkob  ” — cloth  of 
gold — slightly  exposed  at  the  breast  ; a loose-fitting  coat  falling 
below  the  knees,  made  of  rich  yellow  satin  from  the  looms  of 
Delhi,  bordered  with  gold  embroidery  ; a Cashmere  shawl  of  great 
value  encircles  the  loins,  and  the  usual  “ Kummerbund”  binds  all  to 
the  waist  of  the  wearer.  The  turban  is  made  of  several  yards  of 
fine  India  muslin,  twisted  round  the  head,  heavily  adorned  with 
chains  of  pearls,  and  aigrettes  of  diamonds  and  precious  stones. 
These,  with  the  pearls  encircling  his  neck,  are  of  large  size  and 
extraordinary  beauty  and  value,  the  heir-looms  of  many  generations. 


50 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


He  holds  by  his  side  his  State  sword,  the  hilt  of  which  is  studded 
with  precious  stones.  To  all  this  “ glory  ” might  have  been  added 
the  matchless  Koh-i-noor  diamond,  for  this  prince  was  the  heir 
of  “ The  Mountain  Light,”  his  father,  the  Maharajah  Runjeet 
Singh,  having  been  its  last  possessor  ; but  the  great  diamond  was 
sent  as  a present  to  Queen  Victoria,  and  he  himself  is  handsome 
and  happy  enough  without  it. 

How  significant  of  the  resources  of  India  is  the  fact  that  every 
article  on  the  person  of  this  princely  man,  from  the  gold  and  gems 
on  his  head  to  the  embroidered  slippers  on  his  feet,  is  the  produc- 
tion of  his  own  country,  and  all  of  native  manufacture ! How 
quietly  in  this  respect  he  outshines  the  Broadway  “exquisite”  or 
Parisian  belle,  whose  finery  must  be  sought  for  in  a score  of  climes 
and  imported  from  many  lands  ! 

The  Maharajah  is  considered  one  of  the  handsomest  of  his  coun- 
trymen. The  excellent  wood-cut  here  representing  him  does  not, 
however,  do  justice  to  his  black,  lustrous  eyes,  or  his  finely  formed 
features  and  intelligent  look. 

The  education  of  the  gentlemen  of  India  is  sadly  deficient. 
Conducted  in  the  Zenana,  among  ladies  ignorant  of  the  most 
elementary  knowledge,  their  mental  training  and  acquisitions  are 
usually  of  the  most  superficial  sort,  and  destitute  of  healthful  stim- 
ulus. But  the  gentleman  here  represented  is  one  of  the  exceptions 
to  this  rule  ; and  as  he  has  had  the  moral  courage  to  separate  him- 
self from  heathenism  and  receive  the  Christian  faith,  the  reader 
may  be  pleased  with  some  further  notice  of  him. 

He  is  the  first  royal  person  in  India  who  has  become  a follower 
of  Jesus  Christ.  His  highness  is  the  son  and  heir  of  the  Maha- 
rajah Runjeet  Singh,  who,  from  the  ferocity  and  valor  with  which 
he  conducted  his  wars  and  ruled  his  people,  was  called  “The  Lion 
of  the  Punjab.”  The  old  gentleman’s  policy  left  his  nation  in  con- 
fusion, and  the  English  power,  in  the  wars  that  resulted,  found  his 
forces  to  be  the  sturdiest  foe  with  whom  they  had  ever  measured 
swords  in  India.  Runjeet  died  in  1839,  and  his  son,  this  Duleep 
Singh,  then  only  four  years  old,  was  placed  upon  the  throne.  His 


THE  MAHARAJAH'S  CONVERSION. 


5 1 


uncles  ruled  in  his  name,  but  the  ten  years  which  followed  were 
times  of  anarchy  and  bloodshed,  the  Regents  being  assassinated  in 
succession,  and  the  country  one  vast  camp.  The  army  superseded 
the  civil  power,  and  in  their  folly  actually  crossed  the  frontier,  and 
in  1845  invaded  British  India.  They  were  repulsed,  but  only  to 
renew  the  effort  four  years  later,  when  they  were  overthrown,  and 
the  Punjab — the  country  of  the  five  rivers,  as  the  word  means, 
the  rivers  named  in  Alexander’s  invasion,  and  which  unite  to  form 
the  Indus  at  Attock — was  annexed  to  the  British  Empire.  The 
young  Maharajah  was  pensioned,  and  placed  for  education  under 
the  care  of  the  Government.  God  mercifully  guided  the  Governor- 
general  in  the  selection  of  guardian  and  tutor  for  the  little  prince. 
Dr.  (now  Sir  John)  Logan,  of  the  medical  service,  and  a member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  was  appointed  his  guardian,  and  Mr. 
Guise,  of  the  civil  service,  was  selected  as  his  tutor.  To  Mr. 
Guise's  other  high  qualifications  for  his  duties  was  added  a beau- 
tiful Christian  character.  He  had  need  of  all  his  fitness,  for  the 
little  ex-king  had  never  been  used  to  any  restraint,  much  less  to 
study  or  to  books,  and  claimed  the  right  to  run  wild  and  neglect 
all  mental  acquisitions.  But  the  patience  and  conscientiousness 
of  the  faithful  tutor  overcame  every  difficulty  ; good  habits  and  a 
taste  for  reading  were  at  length  formed.  Their  home  was  at  Fut- 
tyghur,  on  the  Ganges,  where  the  American  Presbyterian  Church 
has  a Mission,  (the  missionaries  being  mentioned  by  name  on  a 
previous  page,)  in  which  many  young  men  were  receiving  a Chris- 
tian education.  The  prince  expressed  a desire  to  have  some  one 
of  good  birth  and  talents  for  a companion,  and  a young  Brahmin, 
by  name  Bhajan  Lai,  who  had  been  educated  in  the  mission-school, 
and  had  there,  though  unconverted,  contracted  a love  for  the  Chris- 
tian Scriptures,  was  chosen  for  the  position.  He  soon  enjoyed  the 
entire  confidence  of  the  young  Maharajah.  Bhajan  was  in  the  habit 
of  studying  the  Bible  in  his  leisure  moments,  and  the  prince  two  or 
three  times  having  come  upon  him  thus  engaged,  was  led  to  inquire 
what  book  it  was  that  so  interested  him.  He  was  told,  and  at  his 
request  Bhajan  promised  to  read  and  explain  the  Word  of  God  to 


52 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


him,  but  on  condition  that  it  should  not  be  known.  The  priests 
of  his  own  religion  that  had  accompanied  him  from  the  Punjab, 
and  were  training  him  in  the  tenets  of  their  faith,  were  soon  seen 
by  him  in  a new  light  as  he  continued  to  read  the  Scriptures. 
When  he  began  to  compare  them,  in  all  their  mummery,  immorality, 
and  covetousness,  with  the  purity  and  spirituality  of  the  Christians 
around  him,  whose  lives  and  examples  he  had  carefully  noted,  a 
feeling  of  disgust  with  heathenism,  and  a preference  and  love  for 
the  religion  of  the  Bible,  sprang  up  in  his  heart,  to  which  he  soon 
gave  expression.  Thus  the  reading  of  God’s  holy  Word,  taught 
and  explained  even  by  a heathen  youth  and  Brahmin,  led  the 
Maharajah  to  give  up  idolatry,  and  to  express  a desire  to  break  his 
caste  and  be  baptized. 

The  priests  were  amazed  and  confounded,  and  offered  what 
resistance  they  could.  But  the  guardianship  of  the  prince  effect- 
ually shielded  him  from  all  persecution.  Yet,  as  he  was  so  young, 
and  the  step  contemplated  so  important,  his  guardian,  though 
rejoiced  at  his  purpose,  and  ready  to  aid  it  in  every  proper  way, 
suggested  delay  till  he  could  more  fully  study  the  religion  of  Jesus 
and  act  with  fuller  deliberation.  He  accepted  the  advice,  drew 
nearer  to  the  missionaries,  attended  the  services,  and  enjoyed  the 
association  of  the  Christians.  He  was  led  to  embrace  Christ  as 
his  Saviour,  and  on  the  8th  of  March,  1853,  was  baptized  and 
received  into  the  Christian  Church.  The  Rev.  VV.  J.  Jay,  the 
chaplain  of  the  station,  administered  the  holy  ordinance  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  missionaries,  the  native  Christians  and  Europe- 
ans at  the  station,  and  the  servants  of  the  Maharajah.  He  was 
clad  as  here  represented,  and  when  he  took  off  his  turban,  and 
with  much  firmness  and  humility  bowed  his  head  to  receive  the 
sacred  ordinance,  every  heart  in  the  assembly  was  moved,  and 
many  a prayer  went  up  that  he  might  have  grace  to  fulfill  his  vows 
and  honor  his  Christian  profession. 

He  has  faithfully  done  so  to  the  present  time.  Immediately 
after  his  baptism  he  established  relief  societies  at  Futtyghur  and 
Lahore,  placing  them  under  the  control  of  the  American  missions 


SETTLES  IN  ENGLAND. 


53 


at  both  places.  Besides  assisting  in  the  support  of  the  missions, 
he  established,  and  still  sustains,  a number  of  village  schools  for 
the  education  of  the  people,  and  has  been  a liberal  contributor  to 
every  good  object  brought  to  his  notice.  When  the  writer  was  at 
Futtyghur  he  had  the  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  results  which 
were  being  accomplished  by  the  Christian  liberality  of  the  Maha- 
rajah in  and  around  that  station.  He  was  then  aiding  the  cause  of 
Christ  and  the  poor  to  the  extent,  probably,  of  fully  one  tenth  of  his 
whole  income  annually,  and  I presume  his  liberality  is  no  less  now. 

Some  time  after  his  baptism,  with  a desire  to  improve  his  mind 
by  foreign  travel,  he  visited  England.  He  took  with  him  a devoted 
Christian,  who  had  formerly  been  a Hindoo  Pundit,  named  Nil 
Knath,  by  whose  instructions  he  was  more  fully  established  in  the 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  and  with  whom  he  enjoyed  daily  prayer  and 
other  religious  privileges.-  On  his  arrival  in  London  the  Government 
placed  a suitable  residence  in  Wimbledon  at  his  disposal,  and  the 
Queen  and  Prince  Albert  showed  him  much  attention  and  kindness. 

The  Sepoy  Rebellion  of  1857  distressed  him  exceedingly,  and 
probably  alienated  him  from  his  native  land.  His  entire  severance 
from  the  religion  of  his  countrymen,  and,  most  of  all,  probably, 
reasons  of  State  in  view  of  the  English  rule  in  his  country,  which 
he  would  not  wish  by  his  presence  there  to  disturb  in  any  way,  led 
him  to  prefer  England  as  a residence.  A magnificent  home  has 
been  provided  for  him  near  London,  and  there,  on  the  allowance 
of  his  rank  paid  yearly  by  the  British  Government,  he  is  spending 
the  present  portion  of  his  life,  honored  and  respected  by  all  around 
him.  He  has  probably  ere  now  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
loss  of  the  throne  of  the  Punjab  may  have  been  for  him  a good 
providence.  During  the  rebellion  his  life  might  have  been  sacri- 
ficed. In  the  peace  and  honor  that  surround  him  he  is  not  only 
entirely  free  from  the  evil  influences  of  an  Oriental  court,  and  the 
distractions  of  irresponsible  government,  but  he  may  reflect,  judg- 
ing the  present  from  the  past,  that,  had  he  remained  and  reigned, 
he  might  very  probably,  like  his  uncles  and  predecessors,  have  met 
a violent  death. 


54 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Gentlemen  in  other  lands  having  the  means  and  leisure  of  the 
higher  classes  of  Hindoo  society  would  be  cultivating  their  minds, 
enlarging  and  enriching  the  literature  of  their  times  by  their 
authorship,  by  foreign  travel,  by  collections  of  books  and  works  of 
art,  and  institutions  for  developing  the  resources  of  their  great 
country.  But  there  are  no  authors  in  India,  no  libraries  in  its 
homes  ; not  one  in  a thousand  of  its  aristocracy  ever  saw  the  out- 
side of  his  native  land.  Learned  societies,  museums,  or  fruits  of 
genius  are  not  to  be  found  there.  Education,  when  acquired,  is 
restricted  mostly  to  the  mere  ability  of  reading  and  writing  and 
talking  in  courtly  style,  while  there  are  multitudes  of  wealthy  men 
that  cannot  do  that  much  ; nay,  there  are  even  kings  without  the 
power  to  write  their  own  names,  who  can  give  validity  to  State 
documents  only  by  stamping  them  with  “ the  signet  on  their  right 
hand.”  The  sovereign  of  the  Punjab — father  of  the  Maharajah 
here  represented — was  one  such.  He  was  unable  to  write  or  read 
his  own  name,  and  to  the  day  of  his  death  could  not  tell  one  figure 
from  another. 

The  little  information  of  general  news  which  they  acquired  from 
time  to  time  had  been  obtained  by  a singular  arrangement.  Each 
great  family,  or  king’s  court,  had  its  “editor.”  He  was  expected  to 
furnish  the  news  daily,  or  as  often  as  he  could.  So  he  collected 
from  any  source  within  his  reach,  and  got  his  newspaper  ready. 
But  he  had  no  press,  nor  type,  nor  office,  nor  newsboy  to  aid  him. 
He  simply  enters  on  his  broad  sheet,  in  writing,  one  after  another, 
all  the  news  or  gossip  he  could  collect,  until  his  paragraphs  fill  his 
pages,  and  he  sallies  forth  in  the  morning  to  circulate  the  news, 
commencing  with  the  members  of  the  household,  and  thence  to 
the  servants,  and  so  on  to  the  neighbors,  reading  for  each  circle 
the  news  he  had  previously  collected  and  written  out,  and  receiv- 
ing his  fees  from  each  company  as  he  goes  round  the  neighborhood. 
Of  express  trains,  telegraphs,  associated  press,  pictorial  papers, 
and  all  our  Christian  appliances  for  collecting  and  distributing  the 
news  of  the  wide  world,  he  is  utterly  ignorant.  But  the  poor  editor 
is  on  a par  with  the  education  of  his  patrons,  and  he  can  rest 


HABITS  OF  THE  INDIA  ARISTOCRACY. 


55 


assured  they  are  not  likely  to  outstrip  him  in  the  race  for  knowl- 
edge. And  so  it  goes  on  from  generation  to  generation,  until  now, 
when  this  wonderful  innovator,  Christianity,  has  walked  right  into 
the  midst  of  this  venerable  ignorance,  and,  to  the  horror  of  these 
editorial  oracles,  has  lifted  many  even  of  the  Pariah  youth  of  their 
bazaars  to  a plane  of  education  and  knowledge  up  to  which  millions 
look  with  amazement  as  they  wonder  what  is  going  to  happen 
now,  when  boys  “ whose  fathers  they  would  have  disdained  to  set 
with  the  dogs  in  their  flocks  ” are  actually  becoming  possessed  of 
an  education  which  even  their  Pundits  do  not  enjoy ! 

The  habits  of  the  India  aristocracy  are  in  many  respects  de- 
cidedly peculiar.  The  residence,  for  instance,  is  usually  very 
mean,  as  compared  with  the  wealth  of  the  parties.  While  they 
will  spend  millions  upon  a temple  or  tomb,  they  are  content  to 
dwell  in  a house  which  a man  in  America,  with  one  fiftieth  of 
their  income,  would  scorn  to  inhabit.  A Rajah  with  a rent-roll 
of  say  fifty  thousand  dollars  or  more  per  annum  will  sometimes 
pass  his  life  in  a residence  built  of  sun-dried  brick,  with  a tiled 
roof,  that  cost  less  than  two  thousand  dollars,  surrounded  on  all 
sides  with  mud  hovels,  and  in  the  midst  of  a bazaar  where  the 
din  and  smoke  and  effluvia  would  be  intolerable  to  any  decent 
American. 

No  doubt  this  want  of  appreciation  of  surrounding  circumstances 
in  their  life  is  caused  by  their  inability  while  heathens  justly  or 
truly  to  estimate  that  idea  of  home  which  Christianity  has  created 
for  man,  especially  in  the  “ honorable  estate  ” of  the  married  life 
which  she  ordains  and  blesses,  and  to  which  she  leads  the  grate- 
ful, loving  husband  to  bring  his  means  and  ingenuity  to  adorn  it, 
to  make  it  a convenient,  cheerful,  happy  dwelling  for  the  blessed 
wife  whom  he  loves  and  the  dear  children  whom  God  has  given 
them.  Such  a home,  with  its  joy  and  honor,  the  heathen  or  polyg- 
amist can  never  know  or  appreciate.  His  residence  is  but  a con- 
venience, not  the  sanctuary  of  the  affections,  and  his  estimate  of 
home  must  be,  and  is,  defective  and  perverted. 

They  eschew  furniture,  in  our  sense  of  the  word — tables,  chairs,* 


56 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


knives  and  forks.  They  eat  with  the  fingers  alone,  and  generally 
sleep  on  a charpoy  or  mat.  When  you  enter  a Hindoo  home  you 
are  at  once  struck  with  the  naked  look  of  the  room — no  chair  or 
sofa  to  sit  upon,  no  pictures  on  the  walls,  no  piano  or  musical 
instrument,  no  library  of  books,  no  maps,  no  table  with  the  newspa- 
per or  periodical  or  album  upon  it,  and  you  wonder  how  they  can 
bear  to  live  such  a life  ; to  you  it  would  be  a misery  and  a blank. 
But  you  are  a Christian,  and  your  holy  religion  has  made  you  to 
differ,  and  taught  you  the  nature  and  value  of  a Christian  home 
and  its  conveniences  and  joys. 

Nothing  would  more  surprise  them  in  visiting  our  Western 
world  than  to  see  how  generally,  according  to  the  ability  of  each, 
we  beautify  and  adorn  our  residences,  and  surround  them  with 
flowers  and  verdure  and  neatness.  They  would  think  this  all  very 
artificial,  and  perhaps  unnecessary,  and  could  not  enter  into  the 
feelings  of  those  whose  constant  effort  seems  to  be  to  make  their 
abode  on  earth,  in  its  purity,  companionship,  and  peace,  a type  of 
the  home  in  heaven. 

Woman  alone  in  heathenism,  even  where  she  has  possessed 
peculiar. wealth  and  power  and  opportunity  for  the  effort,  cannot 
make  this  earthly  paradise  ; she  requires  Christianity  to  be  success- 
ful. Cases  have  occurred  where  European  ladies  have  been  induced 
— in  Delhi,  Lucknow,  etc. — to  enter  even  royal  zenanas  as  wives. 
But  though  knowing  the  difference,  and  probably  fondly  hoping  they 
could  by  their  presence  and  ability  constitute  a happy  social  state, 
they  soon  realized  that  the  very  atmosphere  forbid  the  development 
of  the  home  they  hoped  to  cultivate,  and  the  fair  experimenters 
had,  in  utter  despair,  to  abandon  their  efforts  and  their  hopes,  and 
not  only  so,  but  themselves  to  sink  to  the  sad  level  of  the  heathen- 
ish community  into  which  they  had  ventured  ! 

“ Home  is  the  sacred  refuge  of  our  life.” 

True,  but  India’s  sons  c an  never  learn  the  sentiment  and  experi- 
ence which  Dryden’s  line  thus  expresses  till  the  daughters  of  India 
receive  the  Christianity  which  alone  can  cultivate  their  minds  and 


CniUSTfANITY  ALONE  CREATES  HOME.  ' $7 

hearts,  and  take  under  its  divine  guardianship  their  sacred  mission 
in  India,  as  in  America,  to 

“ Give  to  social  man  true  relish  of  himself.” 

The  men  of  India  have  never  known  woman’s  high  power  as  “a 
helpmeet”  in  mind,  heart,  social  life,  or  usefulness,  and  until  they 
do  they  cannot  enjoy  the  blessed  home  which  only  honored  and 
elevated  women  can  create. 

If  there  be  any  one  thing,  short  of  salvation,  in  which  America 
and  India  contrast  each  other  most  vividly,  it  is  woman’s  high  posi- 
tion in  her  home,  and  man’s  consequent  happiness  resulting  there- 
from— as  wife,  living  for  the  husband  whom  she  loves  ; as  mother, 
making  her  abode  a nursery  for  the  Eden  on  high  ; the  friend  and 
patron  of  all  that  is  lovely,  virtuous,  and  of  good  report ; her  plas- 
tic influence  of  mind  and  heart  and  character  molding  those  within 
her  .sphere  into  sympathy  with  her  own  goodness,  while  she  thus 
sweetly 

“ Allures  to  brighter  worlds,  and  leads  the  way.” 

In  presence  of  this  excellence — and,  thank  Heaven ! Christianity 
has  thousands  such — every  thing  beautiful  on  earth  brightens. 
The  holiest  and  happiest  men  in  this  world  bask  in  this  blessed 
social  sunshine,  and  are  led  by  it  to  the  contemplation  and  earnest 
hope  of  those  “better  things”  which  it  typifies;  their  sanctified 
domestic  joy  becoming  a sign  and  promise  of  the  felicity  that  will 
be  endless  when  they  come  to  realize  at  last  what  they  so  often 
sing  below — 

“ My  heavenly  home  is  bright  and  fair.” 

The  food  and  manner  of  eating  is  quite  Oriental,  with  the  pecul- 
iarity on  the  part  of  the  stricter  Brahminical  caste  that  they  never 
touch  flesh  of  any  kind  ; but  the  rich  variety  of  fruits  and  vegeta- 
bles, and  other  products  of  the  field  and  garden,  with  milk,  butter,' 
etc.,  enables  them  to  enjoy  a full  variety.  The  favorite  dish  of 
India  is  the  “curry,”  and  natives  and  foreigners  alike  seem  to 
agree  that  it  is  the  king  of  all  dishes.  If  it  was  not  the  “savory 
meat”  that  Isaac  loved,  the  latter  was  probably  very  like  it;  but 


58 


THE  LAND  OF  T1IE  VEDA. 


the  dish  itself  is  never  equal,  in  piquancy  and  aroma,  out  of  India 
to  what  you  receive  there.  The  eating  is  done  without  the  aid  of 
knives  or  forks,  the  fingers  alone  being  used.  This  is  the  mode 
for  all,  no  matter  how  high  or  wealthy.  The  writer  saw  the 
Emperor  of  Delhi  take  his  food  in  this  way.  When  they  have  fin- 
ished, a servant  lays  down  a brass  basin  before  them  and  pours 
water  on  their  hands,  and  presents  a towel  to  wipe  them,  remind- 
ing one  of  Elisha  “ pouring  water  on  the  hands  of  Elijah,”  acting 
as  his  attendant  in  honor  of  the  man  of  God. 

The  amusements  of  the  India  aristocracy  are  very  limited.  The 
enervation  of  the  climate  may  have  something  to  do  with  this,  but 
it  is  probably  more  due  to  a want  of  that  developed  manliness  and 
self-assertion  which  belongs  only  to  a higher  civilization.  They 
hardly  ever  think  of  going  out  hunting,  or  fishing,  or  fowling.  Of 
the  chase  they  know  nothing,  and  I presume  there  is  not  one 
base-ball  club  in  the  country;  gymnastic  exercises  they  never  take, 
their  music  is  barbarous,  and  they  do  not  play.  When  a feast  or 
marriage  requires  entertainment  they  hire  professional  musicians, 
dancers,  jugglers,  or  players  to  perform  before  their  guests,  but 
take  no  part  whatever  personally.  Operas  and  theaters  and  pro- 
miscuous dancing  they  hold  in  abhorrence,  as  too  immoral  for  them 
or  their  families  to  witness.  They  are  fond  of  formal  calls  upon 
their  equals,  or  social  and  civil  superiors,  and  like  display  and 
exhibitions  of  their  standing  and  wealth.  They  are  regularly 
scientific  in  the  art  of  taking  their  ease,  being  bathed  and  sham- 
pooed, fanned  to  sleep  and  while  asleep.  They  love  to  be  deco- 
rated with  dress  and  jewelry,  enjoy  frequent  siestas,  and  divide  the 
remainder  of  their  leisure  time  in  the  society  of  women  whom  they 
choose  to  entertain  in  their  zenanas  ; but  of  public  spirit  and 
efforts,  disinterested  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  others,  intellectual 
enjoyments,  the  culture  and  training  of  their  children’s  minds  or 
morals,  or  the  exalting  influence  of  communion  with  a refined  and 
intelligent  wife  or  mother,  they  know  but  little  or  nothing,  because 
they  are  utter  strangers  to  the  inspiration  of  the  holy  religion 
whose  fruits  these  joys  and  virtues  are. 


T1IEIR  VISITS  OF  CEREMONY. 


59 


When  they  undertake  to  pay  a visit  of  ceremony  it  is,  to  our 
views,  very  singular  what  form  and  punctiliousness  they  deem  to 
be  indispensable.  The  whole  establishment  seems  turned  out  for 
the  purpose,  for  the  larger  the  “following”  so  much  the  more 
you  are  expected  to  be  impressed  with  the  standing  and  dig- 
nity of  the  great  man  who  has  come  to  honor  you  with  his  call. 
An  outrunner  or  two  reaches  your  door  in  advance,  and  announces 
the  master’s  approach  ; then  come  an  armed  squad,  and  his  confi- 
dential servant,  or  “vakeel,”  and  behind  them  the  great  man  him- 
self on  his  elephant,  or  in  his  palanquin  ; another  crowd  of  retain- 
ers bring  up  the  rear,  the  whole  train  numbering  from  thirty  to 
sixty  persons,  or  even  more.  Often,  as  I have  looked  at  them, 
have  I been  reminded  of  the  figure  in  the  Revelations,  where  the 
blessed  dead  are  represented  as  accompanied  on  their  way  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  by  the  escort  of  the  good  deeds  of  their  faithful 
lives,  which  rise  up  to  accompany  them  as  so  many  evidences  of 
their  devotion  to  God — “ Their  works  do  follow  them.”  The  inter- 
view is  merely  a ceremony.  The  lady  of  the  house  is  not  expected 
to  make  her  appearance  ; but  where  the  visit  is  to  a missionary 
family  the  lady  generally  does  show  herself,  and,  joining  in  the 
conversation,  watches  the  opportunity  to  say  a word  for  the  truth 
of  the  Gospel.  The  native  gentleman  is  evidently  amazed,  though 
he  conceals  it  as  well  as  he  can,  at  her  intelligence  and  her  self- 
possession  in  the  presence  of  another  man  than  her  husband,  so 
unlike  the  prejudices  that  fill  his  mind  about  the  female  members 
of  his  own  household.  No  doubt,  amazing  are  the  descriptions  he 
carries  home  of  what  he  has  seen  and  heard  on  such  an  occasion. 

But  it  is  in  connection  with  “ durbars ,”  governmental  levees  and 
marriage  festivals,  that  the  whole  force  of  the  native  passion  for 
parade  and  ostentation  develops  itself.  As  a sample : At  the  dur- 
bar some  time  ago  in  the  Punjab,  Diahn  Singh,  one  of  the  nobles, 
came  mounted  on  a large  Persian  horse,  which  curveted  and 
pranced  about  as  though  proud  of  his  rider.  The  bridle  and  sad- 
dle were  covered  with  gold  embroidery,  and  underneath  was  a 
saddle-cloth  of  silver  tissue,  with  a broad  fringe  of  the  same  mate- 


6o 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


rial,  which  nearly  covered  the  animal.  The  legs  and  tail  of  the 
horse  were  dyed  red — the  former  up  to  the  knees,  and  the  latter 
half-way  to  the  haunches — an  emblem,  well  understood  by  the 
crowd,  of  the  number  of  enemies  which  this  military  chief  was 
supposed  to  have  killed  in  battle,  and  that  their  blood  had  covered 
his  horse  thus  far.  The  chief  himself  was  dressed  with  the 
utmost  magnificence,  loaded  with  jewels,  which  hung,  row  upon 
row,  round  his  neck,  in  his  turban,  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword  and 
dagger,  and  over  his  dress  generally,  while  a bright  cuirass  shone 
resplendent  on  his  breast.  Add  to  this  a face  and  person  hand- 
some and  majestic,  and  you  have  the  man  as  he  delighted  to  be 
seen  on  the  occasion. 

But  even  this  was  outdone  a few  months  ago  on  the  occasion  of 
the  visit  of  one  of  Queen  Victoria’s  sons,  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh, 
to  India.  A part  of  the  pageant  was  the  procession  of  elephants. 
These  animals,  one  hundred  and  seventy  in  number,  and  the 
finest  in  size  and  appearance  in  India,  were  each  decorated  in  the 
richest  housings,  and  ridden  by  the  Nawabs  and  Rajahs  who 
owned  them,  each  trying  hard  to  outvie  the  other.  Perhaps  the 
Maharajah  of  Putteallah  carried  off  the  palm.  The  housings  of  his 
immense  elephant  were  of  such  extraordinary  richness  that  they 
were  covered  with  gold  and  jewels.  The  Maharajah,  who  rode  on 
him,  wore  a robe  of  black  satin  embroidered  with  pearls  and  emer- 
alds. The  howdah — seat  on  the  elephant’s  back  — in  which  the 
Rajah  of  Kuppoorthullah  sat,  was  roofed  with  a triple  dome  made 
of  solid  silver. 

This  passion  of  ostentation  and  show  breaks  over  all  bounds  on 
the  occasion  of  their  marriage  ceremonies,  and  is  permitted  to  know 
no  limit  but  their  means,  nor  sometimes  even  that.  Sleeman  nar- 
rates of  the  Rajah  of  Bullubghur — whom  the  writer  saw  in  such 
different  circumstances  twenty  years  after  these  events,  on  trial  for 
his  life  in  the  Dewanee  Khass  of  Delhi,  in  1857,  as  will  be  described 
hereafter — that  on  the  occasion  of  his  marriage  in  1838  the  young 
chief  mustered  a cortege  of  sixty  elephants  and  ten  thousand  fol- 
lowers to  attend  him.  He  was  accompanied  by  the  chiefs  of 


The  Mohammedans  of  India. 


MARRIAGE  EXPENSE.  63 

Ludora  and  Putteallah,  with  forty  more  elephants,  and  five  thou- 
sand people. 

It  was  considered  necessary  to  the  dignity  of  the  occasion  that 
the  bridegroom’s  party  should  expend  at  least  six  hundred  thou- 
sand rupees — $300,000  gold — during  the  festival.  A large  part  of 
this  sum  was  to  be  distributed  freely  in  the  procession  ; so  it  was 
loaded  on  elephants,  and  persons  were  appointed  to  fling  it  among 
the  crowds  as  the  cavalcade  passed  on  its  way.  They  scattered 
copper  money  all  along  the  road  from  their  home  till  within  seven 
miles  of  Bullubghur.  From  this  point  to  the  gate  of  the  fort  they 
scattered  silver,  and  from  the  gate  of  the  fort  to  the  door  of  the 
palace  they  scattered  gold  and  jewels.  The  son  of  the  Putteallah 
chief,  a lad  of  about  ten  years,  had  the  post  of  honor  in  the 
distribution.  He  sat  on  his  elephant,  and  beside  him  was  a bag 
of  gold  mohurs  — each  mohur  is  worth  eight  dollars  gold  — 
mixed  up  with  an  immense  variety  of  gold  ear-rings,  pearls,  and 
precious  stones.  His  turn  for  scattering  began  as  they  neared  the 
palace  door.  Seeing  some  Pluropean  gentlemen,  who  had  come  to 
look  at  the  procession,  standing  on  the  balcony,  the  little  chief 
thought  they  should  have  their  share,  so  he  heaved  up  vigorously 
several  handfuls  of  the  pearls,  mohurs,  and  jewels,  as  he  passed 
them.  Not  one  of  them,  of  course,  would  condescend  to  stoop  to 
take  up  any,  but  the  servants  in  attendance  upon  them  showed  no 
such  dignified  forbearance. 

The  costs  of  the  family  of  the  bride  are  always  much  greater 
than  that  of  the  bridegroom.  They  are  obliged  to  entertain,  at 
their  own  expense,  all  the  bridegroom’s  guests  which  go  with  him 
for  his  bride,  as  well  as  their  own,  as  long  as  they  remain. 

From  this  running  description  of  the  superficial,  self-glorifying, 
and  aimless  lives  which  these  men  follow,  the  reader  may  easily 
imagine  what  must  be  the  condition  of  their  minds,  their  morals, 
and  their  characters. 

The  Mohammedans,  a picture  of  whom  we  present  here,  arc  a 
more  energetic  people  than  the  Hindoos.  Their  aspect  is  haughty 

and  intolerant,  and  in  meeting  them  you  are  under  no  liability  to 

■ 4 


64 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


mistake  them  for  the  milder  race  whom  they  have  so  long  crushed 
down  and  ruled.  They  are  descended  from  original  Asiatics  of 
Persia,  Arabia,  etc.,  while  the  Hindoos  are  of  western  stock. 

“ The  natives  of  India  attach  far  more  weight  to  form  and  cere- 
mony than  do  Europeans.  It  is  considered  highly  disrespectful  to 
use  the  left  hand  in  salutation  or  in  eating,  or,  in  fact,  on  any  other 
occasion  when  it  can  be  avoided.  To  remove  the  turban  is  disre- 
spectful ; and  still  more  so  not  to  put  off  the  shoes  on  entering  a 
strange  house.  Natives,  when  they  make  calls,  never  rise  to  go  till 
they  are  dismissed,  which  among  Mohammedans  is  done  by  giving 
betel  and  sprinkling  rose  essence,  and  with  Hindoos  by  hanging 
wreaths  of  flowers  around  the  visitor’s  neck,  at  least  on  great  occa- 
sions. Discourteous  Englishmen  are  apt  to  cut'  short  a long  visit 
by  saying  Ab  jao — ‘Now  go!’  than  which  nothing  can  be  more 
offensive.  The  best  way  is  to  say,  1 Come  and  see  me  again  soon,’ 
or,  ‘ Always  make  a practice  of  visiting  my  house,’  which  will  be 
speedily  understood.  Or  to  one  much  inferior  you  may  say, 
Rukhsat  lain — ‘ Leave  to  go,’  or,  better,  Rukhsat  lijiye — ‘ Please  to 
take  leave.’  A letter  closed  by  moistening  the  wafer  or  the  gum 
with  the  saliva  of  the  mouth  should  not  be  given  to  a native.  The 
feet  must  not  be  put  upon  a chair  occupied  by  them,  nor  must  the 
feet  be  raised  so  as  to  present  the  soles  to  them.  One  must  avoid 
touching  them  as  much  as  possible,  especially  their  beards,  which 
is  a gross  insult.  If  it  can  be  avoided,  it  is  better  not  to  give  a 
native  three  of  any  thing.  Inquiries  are  never  made  after  the 
female  relations  of  a man.  If  they  are  mentioned  at  all  it  must  be 
as  ‘house.’  ‘Is  your  house  well?’  that  is,  ‘Is  your  wife  well?’ 
There  are  innumerable  observances  to  avoid  the  evil  eye  ; and 
many  expressions  seemingly  contradictory  are  adopted  for  this  pur- 
pose. Thus,  instead  of  our  ‘Take  away,’  it  is  proper  to  say,  ‘Set 
on  more  ;’  and  for  ‘ I heard  you  were  sick,’  ‘ I heard  your  enemies 
were  sick.’  With  Mohammedans  of  rank  it  is  better  not  to  express 
admiration  of  any  thing  they  possess,  as  they  will  certainly  offer  it; 
in  case  of  acceptance  they  would  expect  something  of  more  value 
in  return.  To  approach  a Hindoo  of  high  caste  while  at  his  meal  is 


MANNERS  OF  TIIE  111X1)0 OS. 


65 


to  deprive  him  of  his  dinner ; to  drink  out  of  his  cup  may  deprive 
him  of  his  caste,  or  seriously  compromise  him  with  his  caste-fellows. 
Leather  is  an  abomination  to  Hindoos ; as  is  every  thing  made  from 
the  pig,  as  a riding-saddle,  to  the  Moslem.  When  natives  of  a 
different  rank  are  present  you  must  be  careful  not  to  allow  those 
to  sit  whose  rank  does  not  entitle  them,  and  to  give  each  his 
proper  place.” — Murray's  Handbook. 

Such  are  the  people  of  that  land  toward  whom  for  ages  the  atten- 
tion of  outside  nations  has  been  directed  with  so  much  interest. 
We  will  now  consider  briefly  their  composition  and  numbers,  and 
some  of  those  singular  chronological,  historical,  and  religious  views 
which  they  have  entertained  so  tenaciously,  and  so  long. 


66 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


CHAPTER  II. 

STATISTICS,  MYTHOLOGY,  AND  VEDIC  LITERATURE. 

YEN  among  educated  men  there  is  a very  inadequate  idea 


of  what  India  really  is.  It  is  spoken  of  as  though  it  were 
one  country,  with  one  language  and  one  race  of  men,  just  as  per- 
sons would  speak  of  England  or  France;  whereas  India  ought  to 
be  regarded  as  a number  of  nations,  speaking  twenty-three  differ- 
ent languages,  and  devoted  to  various  faiths  and  forms  of  civilization. 

During  the  long  period  from  the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror 
till  Clive  fought  the  battle  of  Plassey  in  1756,  the  Hindoos  and 
Mohammedans  maintained  their  diversity,  and  were  as  far  from 
any  unity  or  amalgamation  when  England  entered  the  country,  as 
they  were  when  Mahmoud  of  Ghizni  conquered  Delhi.  While  the 
nations  of  Europe  tended  to  unity,  and  fused  their  tribes  and  clans 
into  homogeneous  people,  who  gloried  in  a common  faith  and  father- 
land,  these  millions  of  hostile  men  have  retained  the  sharp  outlines 
of  race,  religion,  language,  and  nationality  as  distinctly  as  ever. 

The  diversity  of  race  is  shown  in  the  Coles,  the  Jats,  the  San- 
thals,  the  Tartars,  the  Shanars,  the  Mairs,  the  Karens,  the  Affghans, 
the  Paharees,  the  Bheels  ; in  religion,  we  have  the  Mohammedans, 
the  Hindoos,  the  Buddhists,  the  Jains,  the  Parsees,  the  Pagans,  and 
the  Christians.  While  in  nationality,  there  are  the  Bengalese,  the 
Rohillas,  the  Burmans,  the  Mahrattas,  the  Seikhs,  the  Telugoos, 
the  Karens,  and  many  others. 

India  is  thus,  in  fact,  a congregation  of  nations,  a crowd  of 
civilizations,  customs,  languages,  and  types  of  humanity,  thrown 
together,  with  no  tendency  to  homogeneity,  until  an  external  civili- 
zation and  a foreign  faith  shall  make  unity  and  common  interest 
possible  by  educating  and  Christianizing  them. 

In  regard  to  the  real  numbers  of  these  wonderful  people  we  are 


CIVIL  AND  RELIGIOUS  STATISTICS  OF  INDIA.  67 


now  able,  from  a census  taken  by  the  English  Government  last 
year,  and  also  from  Missionary  Reports  and  other  authorities,  to 
furnish  reliable  civil  and  religious  statistics  of  the  Indian  Empire. 
A few  items  are  approximations,  but  they  come  as  near  to  accuracy 
as  is  now  necessary.  India  has  an  area  of  1,577,698  square  miles. 
It  is  nearly  2,000  miles  from  North  to  South,  and  1,900  miles  from 
East  to  West.  The  country  is  divided  into  221  British  Districts, 
and  153  Feudatory  States,  with  a population  of  212,671,621 
souls. 

The  average  density  of  this  population  to  the  square  mile  is  135 
persons.  But  in  Oude  and  Rohilcund  (the  mission  field  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church)  the  density  is  474  and  361  respect- 
ively, and  is  therefore  probably  the  most  compact  population  in  the 
world.  England  has  367,  and  the  United  States  only  26,  persons 
to  the  square  mile.  As  to  race,  this  vast  multitude  of  men  are 
divided  as  follows : 


The  English  army 58,000 

Europeans  and  Americans  (civil,  mercantile,  and  missionary  life). . 89,585 

Eurasians  (the  mixed  races) 40,789 

Katies 212,483,247 


In  religion  the  native  population  are  distributed,  as  nearly  as  we 
can  approximate  them,  into 


Parsees  (followers  of  Zoroaster) 

Jains  (Heterodox  Buddhists) 

Syrian  and  Armenian  Christians 

Protestants  (attendants  on  Worship) 

Roman  Cath'olics  (attendants  on  Worship) 

Karens  (in  British  Burmah) 

Seikhs  (in  the  Punjab) 

Buddhists  (in  British  Burmah  and  Ceylon) 

Aborigines,  and  undefined 

Mohammedans 

Hindoos 


1 50.000 

400.000 

140.000 
350,00c 
760,000* 

500.000 
2,000.000 
3,280,000 

11,000,000 

30,000,000 

165,000,000 


* The  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  Madras  in  1869  estimated  the  whole  number  of 
native  Romanists  in  their  communion  at  760,623.  supervised  by  the  Bishops,  and  734 
priests,  in  addition  to  124,000  with  12S  priests  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  almost 
schismatic  and  Portuguese  Archbishop  of  Goa.  But  Dr.  George  Smith,  one  of  the 
highest  authorities  on  India  statistics,  regards  these  figures  as  unworthy  of  trust,  ar.d 
sets  down  the  numbers  for  both  as  not  over  700,000. — Friend  of  India,  May  10,  1871. 
P-  554- 


68 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


There  are  a few  Jews,  Chinese,  Portuguese,  French,  Armenians, 
Nestorians,  and  others  in  the  country,  but  of  these  we  make  no 
account  here. 

The  vastness  of  this  wonderful  country  may  be  further  illustrated 
by  the  amazing  number  of  languages  spoken  throughout  its  wide 
extent ; and  these  are  living  languages,  separate  and  distinct  from 
each  other,  so  that  even  the  characters  of  their  alphabets  have  no 
more  similarity  than  the  Greek  letter  has  to  the  Roman.  Nor  do 
I include  dialects  of  tongues,  or  languages  of  limited  and  local  use, 
but  those  which  are  well  known  and  extensively  employed.  Of 
such  there  are  not  less  than  twenty-three  spoken  in  the  various 
provinces  of  India.  They  are 

i.  The  Urdu,  (the  Hindustanee  proper,)  the  French  of  India,  the 
language  of  the  Mohammedans,  of  trade,  etc.  ; spoken  in  Oude  and 
Rohilcund,  the  Doab,  and  by  traders  generally  ; 2.  The  Bengalee, 
spoken  in  Bengal  and  eastward  ; 3.  The  Hindce,  used  in  Oude, 
Rohilcund,  Rajpootana,  Bundlecund,  and  Malwa  by  the  agricultural 
Hindoos,  etc.  ; 4.  The  Punjabee,  in  the  great  Indus  valley  ; 5.  The 
Pushtoo,  in  Peshawar  and  the  far  West ; 6.  The  Sindhce,  in  the 
Cis-Sutlej  States  and  Sinde  ; 7.  The  Guzerattee , in  Guzerat,  and 
by  the  Parsees  ; 8.  The  Cutcliee,  in  Cutch  ; 9.  The  Cashmerian,  in 
Cashmere;  10.  The  Nepaulcse,  in  Nepaul ; 11.  The  Bhote,  in 

Bootan  ; 12.  The  Assamese,  in  Assam  ; 13,  14.  The  Burmese  and 
Karen,  in  Burmah  and  Pegu;  15.  The  Singhalese,  in  Ceylon; 
16.  The  Malayalim,  in  Travencore  and  Cochin;  17.  The  Tamul, 
from  Madras  to  Cape  Comorin  ; 18.  The  Canarese,  in  Mysore  and 
Coorg ; 19.  The  Teloogoo,  in  Hydrabad,  and  thence  to  the  East 
Shore  ; 20.  The  Oorya,  in  Orissa  ; 21.  The  Cole  and  Gond,  in  Berar ; 
22.  The  Mahratta,  in  Bombay,  Nagpore,  and  Gwalior  ; and  23.  The 
Khassiya,  in  the  North-east.  Add  the  English,  and  there  are 
twenty-four  living  languages  extensively  spoken  in  India  to-day! 
Nor  is  this  all : the  great  classics  of  the  leading  tongues,  the 
ancient  and  venerable  Pali,  the  Sanscrit , the  Persian,  and  the 
Arabic  are  studied  and  used  by  the  scholarship  of  India,  because 
they  hold  in  their  charge  the  venerable  treasures  of  their  volumi- 


GREATNESS  OF  INDIA.  69 

nous  literature,  and  are  as  important  to  their  faiths  as  sacred  Greek 
is  to  Christianity. 

Compare  India  with  Europe,  leaving  out  Russia,  and  she  has 
more  States,  languages,  and  people.  The  principal  tongues  of 
Europe  are  the  English,  French,  Portuguese,  Spanish,  Italian, 
German.  Russ,  Polish,  Turkish,  Greek,  Dutch,  Danish,  Swede, 
Norwegian,  and  Finn — 15.  There  were  (according  to  the  Census 
of  1861)  in  Europe  52  States,  15  languages,  and  198,014,432  people  ; 
but,  in  India,  there  are  374  States,  23  languages,  and  212,483,247 
people.  Giving  India  more  States,  more  languages,  and  more  pop- 
ulation than  all  the  great  Western  nations  combined ! 

To  understand  what  India  is,  and  what  was  the  force  and  impor- 
tance of  her  great  Sepoy  Rebellion,  and  what  is  likely  to  be  her 
relation  to  Christianity,  and  to  the  magnificent  future  which  awaits 
her  Hemisphere,  the  reader  needs  to  understand  and  bear  these 
facts  in  mind. 

Of  course,  such  a people  are  not  destitute  of  national  conceit. 
Indeed,  the  Hindoos  hold  up  their  heads  with  a sovereign  sense 
of  superiority  above  all  other  people  on  the  earth.  Admit  their 
claims,  and  their  system  of  chronology,  and  the  assumptions  of 
their  history,  and  all  other  nations  must  hang  their  heads  as  mod- 
ern novelties,  and  bow  down  in  humility  in  the  presence  of  a civili- 
zation of  divine  origin  and  a venerable  aristocracy  that  counts  its 
life  and  honors  by  millions  of  years!  No  Hindoo  doubts  but  that 
his  country  is,  or  has  been,  the  fount  of  all  the  blessings  which  have 
spread  over  the  world,  and  in  this  rich  conceit  they  hold  it  as  a 
maxim  that 

“ Min-as-shark  talata  ba  kudrat  ar-rahman, 

Anwar-ud-din  wa  al-ilm,  wa  al-umran.” 

That  is, 

“From  the  East,  by  the  power  of  the  Merciful  One, 

Lights  of  Science,  Religion,  and  Culture  have  shone.” 

The  name  India  is  apparently  derived  from  the  river  Indus,  and 
may  have  originated  in  the  fact  that  that  river  divided  this  then 
unknown  land  from  Persia  and  the  world  of  ancient  classical  litera- 
ture. The  country  is  called  in  Sanscrit  Bharatkund, , from  a 


70 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


\ 


dynasty  of  ancient  kings  ; Punya  Dhurma,  “The  Holy  Land,”  and 
also  Djam-bhu-dwip,  the  “Peninsula  of  the  Tree  of  Life.” 

The  trade  of  India  is  immense.  The  Imports  are  cotton  cloth, 
jewelry,  watches,  stationery,  hardware,  metals,  salt,  silk,  books, 
woolens,  American  ice , bullion,  etc.,  etc. ; and  the  Exports  are  coffee, 
tea,  raw  cotton,  (in  1 86 1 to  England  alone  3,295,000  cwt.,  producing 
there  $47,500,000,)  indigo,  opium,  ($50,000,000  annually,)  saltpeter, 
jute,  seeds,  sugar,  wool,  (23,432,689  lbs.  in  1865,)  rice,  raw  silk, 
ivory,  lac,  oils,  etc.  The  balance  of  trade  is  in  favor  of  India,  and 
the  difference  has  to  be  paid  in  cash  ; so  that  the  specie  of  England, 
Germany,  and  America  is  drained  off  to  the  East,  and  wealthy 
India  grows  richer  all  the  time  on  a foreign  commerce  which  has 
now  risen  to  $577,000,000  (gold)  per  annum.  The  tonnage  is  at 
present  4,2 68,666  tons,  and  the  revenue  $249,646,040,  which  is 
only  about  $1  18  per  head — an  easier  rate  of  taxation  than  is  levied 
upon  its  people  by  any  other  civilized  Government,  while  the  pro- 
portion of  the  revenue  spent  on  the  Administration  itself  is  equally 
economical.  Deduct  the  annual  charges  for  roads  and  bridges, 
police,  jails,  and  courts  of  justice,  education,  canals,  reservoirs,  and 
irrigation,  army,  navy,  telegraphs,  public  works,  interest  on  Gov- 
ernment securities,  and  it  seems  remarkable  that  the  scanty 
remainder  could  meet  all  the  charges  of  the  Administration.  The 
Hindoos  well  know  that  they  were  never  so  well  and  so  cheaply 
governed  as  they  are  now.  Their  own  testimony  to  this  fact  will 
be  presented  further  on.  If  it  were  not  for  the  extent  to  which  the 
cultivated  land  is  almost  exclusively  made  to  bear  the  burden,  with 
its  uncertain  tenure,  (though  this  is  the  practice  in  most  Oriental 
Governments,)  and  the  growth  and  sale  of  that  vile  opium,  there 
would  be  little  now  to  rebuke  in  the  government  of  British  India. 
Yet  none  are  more  earnest  than  some  of  the  English  themselves 
for  the  abolition  of  this  reproach  upon  their  fair  fame. 

There  are  seven  railroads  now  running  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  with  an  entire  extent  of  4,039  miles,  and  the  total  traffic 
receipts  of  which  for  the  week  ending  April  22,  1871,  was 
.■£140,220  11s.  4 d.,  or  $701,102,  gold.  Other  lines  arc  in  process 


ENGLISH  EMPIRE. 


7 1 


of  construction.  The  telegraphs,  14,000  miles  long,  run  all  through 
India,  while  roads  as  feeders  to  the  railways  are  being  made  over 
the  land.  But  all  has  been  done  or  furthered  by  the  Government, 
and  the  whole  has  been  accomplished  during  the  past  fifteen  years. 

The  wealth  of  India  has  been  proverbial  since  the  time  of  Solo- 
mon, who  imported  therefrom  his  “ivory,  apes,  and  peacocks.”  It 
has  also  seemed  to  be  inexhaustible.  From  the  earliest  antiquity, 
the  merchants  of  Persia,  Arabia,  Syria,  and  Egypt  sought  to 
enrich  themselves  by.her  commerce;  and  when  Europe  awoke  from 
her  sleep  of  ages,  and  entered  upon  her  career  of  improvement,  her 
first  efforts  were  directed  toward  gaining  a share  of  the  trade  of 
the  East.  England,  at  length,  entered  the  field,  and  soon  out- 
stripped all  her  rivals,  Dutch,  Portuguese,  and  French.  Agreeably 
to  the  policy  of  the  times,  the  ICast  India  Company  was  chartered 
by  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  vested  with  the  monopoly  of  the  com- 
merce of  the  East.  And  advancing  by  a steady  progress,  this  giant 
Company,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Imperial  power,  at  length 
held  and  governed,  or  protected,  all  that  immense  region. 

A leading  American  journal  very  justly  remarked  on  this  sub- 
ject, at  the  time  of  the  great  Sepoy  Rebellion,  that  “ the  achieve- 
ments by  which  these  stupendous  results  have  been  effected  are 
among  the  marvelous  realities  of  history,  compared  with  which  the 
tales  of  romance  are  tame  and  spiritless.  In  future  times  they 
will,  perhaps,  constitute  the  most  deeply-interestipg  portion  of  the 
history  of  our  age.  We  believe  that  in  the  present  troubles  the 
cause  of  Great  Britain,  notwithstanding  the  many  and  grave  abuses 
which  have  been  practiced  or  tolerated  by  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, is  nevertheless  the  cause  of  humanity  and  Christian  civiliza- 
tion. It  is  this  fact,  no  doubt,  which  has  awakened  no  small  share 
of  the  fierce  invectives  against  the  proceedings  of  the  English  in 
India.  For  a long  time  that  region  has  been  the  field  of  an  exten- 
sive and  successful  missionary  enterprise,  to  which  the  British 
rulers  have  extended,  at  least,  a protection  from  Hindoo  and  Mos- 
lem violence,  and  so  afforded  an  opportunity  for  the  free  exercise 
of  Christian  philanthropy.  This  is,  doubtless,  the  head  and  front 


72 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


of  their  offending  in  the  minds  of  many  of  those  who  are  loudest 
in  their  outcries  against  British  cruelty  and  reckless  ambition.  We 
are  very  far  from  approving  all  that  has  been  done  by  British 
agents  in  India,  but  we  are  equally  clearly  convinced  that  it  is 
much  more  for  their  good  deeds  than  their  faults  that  they  are 
most  intensely  disliked.” 

Any  man  who  has  resided  in  India,  and  known  the  condition  of 
the  people  and  the  actions  of  that  Government  in  regard  to  them, 
and  the  encouragement  extended  to  efforts  for  the  welfare  of  the 
natives,  especially  of  late  years,  will  be  prepared  to  accept  these 
words  as  a fair,  and  yet  generous,  statement  of  the  situation.  The 
position  of  England  in  India  was  a very  peculiar  one,  and,  in  all 
candor,  should  be  clearly  understood  before  forming  an  opinion 
upon  the  merits  of  the  case.  For  instance,  in  India  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  patriotism,  no  capability  of  self-government.  If  the 
English  rule  were  withdrawn  to-morrow,  the  last  thing  the  natives 
would  think  of  would  be  to  unite  and  form  a general  Govern- 
ment. Each  Rajah  and  Nawab  would  simply  set  up  for  himself, 
hold  all  he  had,  and  take  all  he  was  able  to  seize.  Then  would 
begin  a renewal  of  those  religious  and  national  contentions 
which  form  such  a sad  part  of  India’s  history,  and  the  bloody 
exercise  of  which  Britain  terminated  when  she  took  control  of 
the  country,  ever  since  holding  the  peace  between  those  hostile 
elements. 

The  natives,  especially  the  more  military  races,  caring  little  for 
love  of  country,  are'willing  to  fight  for  compensation,  and  to  serve 
any  master  ; so  they  were  found  very  ready  to  wear  the  livery  of 
England,  to  bear  her  weapons,  and  receive  her  pay.  These  men 
were  called  “Sepoys,”  (the  Hindustanee  for  soldier,)  each  regiment 
being  officered  by  English  gentlemen.  By  degrees  this  force  rose 
up  to  be  an  immense  power,  so  that  in  1856,  there  were  two  hun- 
dred thousand  of  them,  constituting  the  regular  Sepoy  army, 
besides  as  many  more  called  “ Contingents,”  maintained  by  native 
courts  under  treaty,  having  English  officers  in  command.  Then 
there  were  the  armed  police  ; making  altogether  a force  of  about 


VALUE  OF  INDIA  TO  ENGLAND. 


73 

four  hundred  thousand  trained  men,  with  the  best  weapons  of 
England  in  their  hands. 

The  total  of  British  troops  in  all  India  in  1856  was  not  much 
over  forty  thousand,  and  they  were  scattered  on  the  frontier  and  in 
a few  of  the  leading  cities,  seldom  more  than  one  regiment  in  a 
place,  and  sometimes  only  half  a regiment. 

By  degrees  the  Sepoy  army,  especially  that  of  Bengal,  became 
what  might  be  called  “a  close  service,”  a high  caste  Brahminical 
force,  to  whose  notions  constant  concessions  were  made  by  the 
Government.  They  were  a fine  body  of  men,  invincible  to  any 
thing  in  the  East  so  long  as  they  were  led  by  their  English  offi- 
cers, these  officers  and  their  ladies  and  children  being  afterward 
the  first  victims  of  the  Rebellion.  The  Sepoys  were  utterly  unedu- 
cated, as  superstitious  as  they  were  ignorant,  and  entirely  under 
the  control  of  their  Fakirs  and  Priests.  This  weak-minded  and 
fanatical  body  of  men  had  won  for  England  her  Oriental  empire,, 
and  she  chiefly  relied  on  them  for  its  defense  and  preservation. 
She  could  well  do  so,  as  long  as  they  were  faithful  to  her  rule,  but 
not  a day  longer.  By  degrees  her  policy  changed,  and,  instead  of 
maintaining  a mixed  army  of  all  castes  and  creeds  and  nationali- 
ties, the  “ Bengal  Army,”  as  it  was  called,  grew  more  and  more 
Brahminical,  united,  and  fanatical. 

It  has  been  asked,  Why  did  not  England  let  India  go  when  she 
threw  oft'  her  allegiance,  and  free  herself  from  the  care  and  risk  of 
governing  a people  who  thus  disdained  her  rule?  Two  answers 
may  be  given  to  this  question.  One  would  be  the  secular  reason 
of  men  who  valued  India  for  what  she  was  to  England  in  the  way 
of  profit  and  power.  Millions  of  British  money  were  invested  in 
the  funds  and  reproductive  works  of  India;  then,  there  was  the 
vast,  increasing,  and  lucrative  market  for  English  goods,  one  item 
alone  of  which  will  express  its  importance.  The  clothing  of  the 
Hindoo  is  not  very  voluminous,  yet,  what  a business  was  it  for 
Lancashire  to  have  the  right  to  supply  cotton  cloth  for  one  sixth  of 
the  human  family!  But,  besides  the  merchant  and  the  manufac- 
turer, the  politician,  the  military  and  the  educated  man  had  a deep 


74 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


interest  in  the  retention  of  this  “brightest  jewel  of  the  British 
crown,”  for  here  was  furnished  the  most  splendid  patronage  that 
ever  lay  in  the  gift  of  a statesman.  Hundreds  of  the  cultured 
classes  of  England  had  careers  of  position  and  emolument  as  civil 
servants  of  the  Government,  under  “covenants”  that  secured  them 
munificent  compensation,  and  which  enabled  them,  when  their 
legal  term  of  service  expired,  to  retire  on  pensions  equal  to 
about  one  half  their  splendid  pay ; so  that  Montgomery  Martin 
estimates  that  the  money  remittances  to  Great  Britain  from  India 
averaged  five  million  sterling  ($25,000,000)  per  annum  for  the  past 
sixty  years.  Landed  jDroperty  in  England  has  been  largely 
enhanced  in  value  by  the  investments  of  fortunes,  the  fruit  of  civil, 
military,  and  commercial  success  in  Hindustan.  A nation  con- 
trolling the  resources  of  such  a dependency,  with  such  a noble 
field  in  which  to  elicit  and  educate  the  genius  of  its  youth  and 
display  the  ability  of  its  commanders,  with  the  profitable  employ- 
ment of  its  mercantile  shipping  in  the  boundless  imports  and 
exports  of  such  a country  as  India,  could  not  lightly  resign,  or 
throw  it  away  without  a mighty  struggle  for  its  retention. 

But,  the  man  who  would  present  no  further  reasons  than  these 
for  British  resolution  to  keep  India  in  its  control,  would  do  injus- 
tice to  the  better  section  of  English  society,  and  to  many  of  her 
noble  representatives  in  the  East.  There  is  another  and  a better 
reason  than  what  was  measured  by  the  pounds,  shillings,  and 
pence  of  mere  worldly  men,  underlying  the  determination  of 
England  in  this  matter.  The  Christians  of  Britain  hold  firmly 
that,  the  Ruler  of  heaven  and  earth,  in  so  wonderfully  subjecting 
that  great  people  to  their  rule,  has  done  so  for  a higher  than  secu- 
lar purpose ; that  he  has  given  them  a moral  and  evangelical  mission 
to  fulfill  in  that  land  for  him  ; and  that  it  is  their  high  and  solemn 
duty  to  maintain  that  responsibility  until,  by  education  and  Chris- 
tianity, they  shall  attach  those  millions  by  the  tie  of  a common  creed 
to  the  English  throne,  or  fit  them  for  assuming  fbr  themselves  the 
responsibilities  of  self-government.  Eor  such  men  Montgomery 
Martin  (one  of  their  most  voluminous  Oriental  writers)  speaks 


THE  HIGHER  MOTIVES  FOR  ENGLISH  RULE. 


75 


when,  in  his  last  edition  of  his  “ Indian  Empire,”  (4  vols.  octavo,) 
dedicated  by  permission  to  the  British  Queen,  he  so  distinctly 
declares  to  his  Government  and  countrymen  their  high  accounta- 
bility before  God  and  man  in  this  respect,  when  he  asks,  “On  what 
principle  is  the  future  government  of  India  to  be  based  ? Arc  we 
simply  to  do  what  is  right,  or  what  seems  expedient  ? If  the  for- 
mer, we  may  confidently  ask  the  Divine  blessing  on  our  efforts  for 
the  moral  and  material  welfare  of  the  people  of  India,  and  we  may 
strive,  by  a steady  course  of  kind  and  righteous  dealing,  to  win 
their  alienated  affections  for  ourselves  as  individuals,  and  their 
respect  and  interest  for  the  religion  which  inculcates  justice, 
mercy,  and  humility  as  equally  indispensable  to  national  as  to  indi- 
vidual Christianity.” 

Those  who  know  India  best,  know  that  I speak  the  truth  when 
1 assert,  that  these  words  are  represented  by  deeds  as  honorable  in 
the  lives,  and  devotion  to  India’s  welfare,  of  many  of  the  men  who 
represent  Great  Britain  there.  I do  not  know  a community  of 
public  men  where  you  can  find  a greater  number  of  “ the  excellent 
of  the  earth,”  than  among  the  civil  and  military  officers  of  England 
in  India;  men  who  have  stood  up  for  Jesus  and  for  humanity, 
loving  the  poor,  degraded  race  whom  they  ruled,  and  pleading, 
toiling,  and  giving  munificently  for  their  elevation  to  a better  con- 
dition. Such  names  as  Bentinck,  Lawrence,  Herbert  Edwards, 
Havelock,  Muir,  Tucker,  Ramsay,  Gowan,  Durand,  and  scores  of 
others,  amply  justify  this  statement.  The  Annual  Missionary 
Reports  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (and  this  is  equally  true 
of  the  other  missions  as  well)  bear  witness  to  this  fact  for  many 
years  past.  During  that  time,  such  was  the  sympathy  for  the 
work  which  we  attempted,  in  helping  them  to  educate  and  enlighten 
the  people  of  our  own  mission  field,  that  noble-hearted  Englishmen 
in  all  stations  of  life,  from  the  Governor-General  down  to  the  pri- 
vate soldier,  have  aided  us  as  freely  as  though  we  were  of  their 
own  nation  or  Church,  so  that  their  contributions  since  1857 
will  be  found  to  aggregate  over  $150,000  in  gold  to  our  mission 
alone  ; while  this  assistance  is  all  the  time  increasing,  and  is 


;6 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


also  equally  extended  by  these  good  men  to  the  missions  of  any 
Church  or  nation  which  goes  there,  and  whose  labors  are  aiming 
to  elevate  the  benighted  natives,  and  prepare  them  by  education 
and  a public  conscience  for  self-government. 

The  Hindoo  Chronology  and  division  of  time  are  very  singu- 
lar, and  even  whimsical.  They  hold  to  four  great  Ages  of  the 
world,  called  Yngs.  Each  of  these  Yugs  is  inferior  to  its  imme- 
mediate  predecessor  in  power,  virtue,  and  happiness.  These 
divisions  are  denominated  the  Satya,  the  Trcta,  the  Diuarpcr, 
and  the  Kali  Yugs,  whose  united  length  amounts  to  the  pro- 
digious sum  of  4,320,000  years  ; yet  this  sum  of  the  Ages  is 
but  a Kalpa , or  one  “ Day  of  Brahma,”  at  the  end  of  which  this 
sleepy  deity  wakes  up  to  find  the  universe  destroyed,  and  which 
he  has  then  to  create  anew  for  another  “Day”  ere  he  goes  to 
sleep  again. 

The  Satya  Yng,  they  tell  us,  lasted  1,728,000  years,  and  was  the 
Age  of  Truth — the  Golden  Age — during  which  the  whole  race  was 
virtuous,  and  lived  each  of  them  100,000  years,  and  men  attained 
the  stature  of  “21  cubits”  (37  feet)  in  height! 

The  Trcta  Yug  lasted  1,296,000  years  ; this  was  the  Silver  Age, 
(using  the  same  figures  as  the  Greek  and  Roman  poets,)  during 
which  one  third  of  the  race  became  corrupt,  the  human  stature  was 
lowered,  and  its  life  shortened  to  10,000  years. 

The  Divarper  Yug  extended  to  only  864,000  years — their  Brazen 
Age — when  fully  one  half  of  the  race  degenerated,  and  their  height 
was  again  reduced,  and  their  lives  shortened  to  1,000  years 
each. 

The  Kali  Yug  is  the  one  in  which  we  now  live,  and  is  regarded 
by  them  as  the  last — the  Iron  Age — in  which  mankind  has  become 
totally  depraved,  and  their  stature  further  reduced,  and  their  life 
limited  to  100  years.  This  Yug,  according  to  them,  began  4,950 
years  ago,  and  is  to  last  exactly  427,050  years  longer,  which  will 
close  this  Kalpa,  or  “ Day  of  Brahma.” 

They  assert  that  one  patriarch  called  Satyavrata,  or  Vaivaswata, 
had  an  existence  running  the  whole  period  of  the  Satya  Yug, 


MAPPING  OUT  ETERNITY. 


77 


(1,728,000  years  !)  and  that  he  escaped  with  his  family  from  a uni- 
versal deluge,  which  destroyed  the  rest  of  mankind.  He  is  regarded 
by  Indian  archaeologists  as  the  same  person  as  the  Seventh  Menu, 
and  by  Colonel  Tod,  in  his  “ Annals  of  Rajasthan,”  as  designating 
the  patriarch  of  mankind,  Noah. 

The  “ Night  of  Brahma”  is  held  to  be  of  equal  length  with  his 
“ Day,”  and  that  in  the  life  of  Brahma  there  are  36,000  such  nights 
and  days.  At  the  end  of  each  “ Day”  there  is  a partial  destruction 
of  the  universe,  and  a reconstruction  of  it  at  the  close  of  each 
“Night.”  During  that  long  night,  “sun,  moon,  and  stars  are 
shrouded  in  gloom  ; ceaseless  torrents  of  rain  pour  down ; the 
waves  of  the  ocean,  agitated  with  mighty  tempests,  rise  to  a pro- 
digious height — the  seven  lower  worlds,  as  well  as  this  earth,  are 
all  submerged.  In  the  midst  of  this  darkness  and  ruin,  and  in  the 
center  of  this  tremendous  abyss,  Brahma  reposes  in  mysterious 
slumber  upon  the  serpent  Atlanta , or  eternity.  Meanwhile  the 
wicked  inhabitants  of  all  worlds  utterly  perish.  At  length  the 
long  night  ends,  Brahma  awakes,  the  darkness  is  instantly  dis- 
pelled, and  the  universe  returns  to  its  pristine  order  and  beauty.” 

This  amazing  chronology  further  states,  that  when  these  36,000 
“days”  and  “nights”  (each  of  them  4,320,000  solar  years  in  dura- 
tion) have  run  their  course,  Brahma  himself  shall  then  expire, 
amid  the  utter  annihilation  of  the  universe,  or  its  absorption  into 
the  essence  of  Brahm.  This  they  call  a Maha  Pralaya,  or  great 
destruction.  After  this,  Brahm,  (the  original  spirit,)  who  had 
reposed  during  the  whole  duration  of  the  creation’s  existence, 
awakes  again,  and  from  him  another  manifestation  of  the  universe 
takes  place,  all  things  being  reproduced  as  before,  and  Brahma, 
the  Creator,  commences  a new  existence.  Each  creation  is  co- 
extensive with  the  life  of  Brahma,  and  lasts  over  three  hundred 
billions  of  years,  (311,040,000,000  years,)  and  the  people  of  India 
believe  that  thus  it  has  been  during  the  past  eternity,  and  thus  it 
will  continue  to  be  in  the  eternity  to  come,  an  alternating  succes- 
sion of  manifestations  and  annihilations  of  the  universe  at  regular 
intervals  of  this  inconceivable  length.  Truly  does  Wheeler  call 


72 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


this  daring  reckoning  “a  bold  attempt  of  the  Brahmins  to  map 
out  eternity  ! ” 

Trevor  has  remarked  that  the  present  age  (the  Kali  Yug)  being 
432,000  years,  the  other  three  Yugs  are  found  simply  by  multiply- 
ing that  number  by  2,  3,  and  4,  respectively.  The  number  itself  is 
the  tithe  of  the  sum  total  of  the  four  Yugs.  The  “divine  year,” 
being  computed  like  the  prophetic,  at  a year  for  a day,  (counting 
360  days  to  the  year,)  is  equal  to  360  ordinary  years  ; and  these, 
rnultiplied  by  the  perfect  number  f 2,000,  makes  4,320,000  years, 
the  sum  of  the  Ages,  and  a Kalpa,  or  “ Day  of  Brahma.” 

Trevor  supposes,  that  as  this  chronologic  scheme  is  too  absurd  for 
reception,  it  must  have  been  originally  designed  as  a sort  of  arith- 
metical allegory,  expressing  the  character , rather  than  the  duration, 
of  the  periods  referred  to  ; while  the  descending  ratios  of  100,000, 
10,000,  1,000,  and  100  may  indicate  only  the  gradual  shortening  of 
the  term  of  human  life  since  the  creation  of  man,  as  the  correspond- 
ing proportions  of  the  virtuous  and  vicious  denote  the  spread  of 
moral  evil,  till  in  the  present  age  “ they  are  altogether  become 
filthy.”  This  theory  I leave  to  the  learned  reader,  having  intro- 
duced the  topic  chiefly  to  illustrate  the  mental  characteristics  of 
the  people  of  India,  and  to  show  into  what  vagaries  the  human 
intellect,  albeit  cultivated  and  subtile,  can  be  drawn  in  the  day- 
dreams of  a people  on  whom  the  light  of  Revelation  never  dawned. 
“ Professing  themselves  to  be  wise,  they  became  fools.” 

Their  divisions  of  time  are  singular:  18  Mimeshas  (twinkling  of 
an  eye,  the  standard  of  measure)  are  equal  to  1 Kashta ; 30  Kash- 
tas  to  1 Kala ; 30  Kalas.  (48  of  our  minutes)  to  1 Muhurtta; 
30  Muhurttas  to  1 day  and  night ; \ Month  of  Men  to  1 day  and 
night  of  the  Pitris,  (ancestors  ;)  1 Year  of  Men  to  1 day  and  night 
of  the  Gods.  The  Hindoos  have  four  watches  of  the  day,  and  the 
same  at  night ; these  are  called  Pahars,  and  are  three  hours  long, 
the  first  commencing  at  six  o’clock  in  the  morning.  The  day  and 
night  together  are  also  divided  into  sixty  smaller  portions,  called 
Ghurees,  so  that  each  of  the  eight  Pahars  consists  of  seven  and  a 
half  Ghurees.  They  have  twelve  months  in  the  year,  each  month 


MEASURING  TIME. 


79 


having  thirty  days.  Half  the  month,  when  the  moon  shines,  is 
called  Oojeca-la-pakh,  and  the  other  half,  which  is  dark,  they  call 
And-hera-pakh , and  these  distinctions  they  recognize  in  writing  and 
dating  their  letters.  They  reckon  their  era  from  the  reign  of 
Bikurmaditt,  one  of  their  greatest  and  best  kings,  the  present  year 
of  their  era  being  1934.  The  Mohammedans  date  their  era  from 
the  Hejira,  or  flight  of  Mohammed  from  Mecca,  which  took  place 
in  A.  D.  622  ; this  is  therefore  their  1249th  year. 

I saw  a very  primitive  method  of  measuring  time,  or  ascertaining 
the  “ghuree,”  in  India.  It  was  a small  brass  cup,  with  a hole  in 
the  bottom,  immersed  in  a pan  of  water,  and  watched  by  a servant. 
When  the  cup  sinks  from  the  quantity  of  water  its  perforation  has 
admitted  the  ghuree  is  completed,  and  the  cup  is  again  placed  empty 
on  the  top  of  the  water  to  measure  the  succeeding  ghuree.  Great 
attention  is,  of  course,  required  to  preserve  any  moderate  degree  of 
correctness  by  this  imperfect  mode  of  marking  the  progress  of 
the  day  and  night,  and  establishments  are  purposely  entertained 
for  it  when  considered  as  a necessary  appendage  of  rank.  In 
most  other  cases,  the  superior  convenience  and  certainty  of  our 
clocks  and  watches  are  making  considerable  strides  in  superseding 
the  Hindustanee  ghuree. 

A brief  glimpse  at  the  wonderful  Mythology,  Geography,  and 
Astronomy  of  these  people  will  be  expected  here,  as  also  some 
notice  of  their  venerable  Vedas  and  their  voluminous  literature. 
Their  “ Sacred  Books  ” gravely  teach  as  follows  : 

“ The  worlds  above  this  earth  are  peopled  with  gods  and  god 
desses,  demi-gods  and  genii — the  sons  and  grandsons,  daughters 
and  granddaughters,  of  Brahma  and  other  superior  deities.  All  the 
superior  gods  have  separate  heavens  for  themselves.  The  inferior 
deities  dwell  chiefly  in  the  heaven  of  Indra,  the  god  of  the  firma- 
ment. There  they  congregate  to  the  number  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty  millions.  The  gods  are  divided  and  subdivided  into  classes 
or  hierarchies,  which  vary  through  every  conceivable  gradation  of 
rank  and  power.  They  are  of  all  colors  : some  black,  some  white, 

some  red,  some  blue,  and  so  through  all  the  blending  shades  of  the 

5 


8o 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


rainbow.  They  exhibit  all  sorts  of  shape,  size,  and  figure  : in  forms 
wholly  human  or  half  human,  wholly  brutal  or  variously  compounded, 
like  many-headed  and  many-bodied  centaurs,  with  four,  or  ten,  or  a 
hundred  or  a thousand  eyes,  heads,  and  arms.  They  ride  through  the 
regions  of  space  on  all  sorts  of  etherealized  animals  : elephants,  buf- 
faloes, lions,  deer,  sheep,  goats,  peacocks,  vultures,  geese,  serpents, 
and  rats  ! They  hold  forth  in  their  multitudinous  arms  all  manner  of 
offensive  and  defensive  weapons  : thunderbolts,  scimetars,  javelins, 
spears,  clubs,  bows,  arrows,  shields,  flags,  and  shells ! They  dis- 
charge all  possible  functions.  There  are  gods  of  the  heavens 
above,  and  of  the  earth  below,  and  of  the  regions  under  the  earth ; 
gods  of  wisdom  and  of  folly  ; gods  of  war  and  of  peace  ; gods  of 
good  and  of  evil  ; gods  of  pleasure,  who  delight  to  shed  around 
their  votaries  the  fragrance  of  harmony  and  joy ; gods  of  cruelty 
and  wrath,  whose  thirst  must  be  satiated  with  torrents  of  blood, 
and  whose  ears  must  be  regaled  with  the  shrieks  and  agonies  of 
expiring  victims.  All  the  virtues  and  the  vices  of  man,  all  the 
allotments  of  life — beauty,  jollity,  and  sport,  the  hopes  and  fears  of 
youth,  the  felicities  and  infelicities  of  manhood,  the  joys^  and  sor- 
rows of  old  age — all,  all  are  placed  under  the  presiding  influence 
of  superior  powers.” — Duff's  India. 

The  Geography  and  Astronomy  of  the  Hindoos  arc  on  a par  with 
their  Theology.  It  would  be  a waste  of  time  and  patience  to 
crowd  these  pages  with  their  wild,  ridiculous,  and  unscientific 
nonsense  upon  these  topics.  Yet  it  may  be  a duty  to  say  some- 
thing in  order  to  convey  a general  idea  of  the  subject  to  such  per- 
sons as  have  not  made  their  system  a study.  Dr.  Duff  has  had  the 
patience  to  epitomize  it ; and  from  him  we  quote  a passage  or  two, 
which  the  reader  will  deem  to  be  all  sufficient,  and  which  he  may 
be  assured  is  only  a sample  of  the  monstrous  extravagances  of 
Hindoo  “science,”  falsely  so  called. 

Speaking  of  the  constitution  of  the  physical  universe,  as  revealed 
in  the  Sacred  Books  of  the  Brahmins,  he  says : “.It  is  partitioned 

into  fourteen  worlds — seven  inferior,  or  below  the  world  which  we 
inhabit,  and  seven  superior,  consisting — with  the  exception  of  our 


HINDOO  GEOGRAPHY. 


8 1 


o\Vn,  which  is  the  first — of  immense  tracts  of  space,  bestudded 
with  glorious  luminaries  and  habitations  of  the  Gods,  rising,  not 
unlike  the  rings  of  Saturn,  one  above  the  other,  as  so  many  concen- 
tric zones  or  belts  of  almost  immeasurable  extent. 

“ Of  the  seven  inferior  worlds  which  dip  beneath  our  earth  in  a 
regular  descending  series,  it  is  needless  to  say  more  than  that  they 
are  destined  to  be  the  abodes  of  all  manner  of  wicked  and  loath- 
some creatures. 

“ Our  own  earth,  the  first  of  the  ascending  series  of  worlds,  is 
declared  to  be  ‘circular  or  flat,  like  the  flower  of  the  water-lily,  in 
which  the  petals  project  beyond  each  other.’  Its  habitable  portion 
consists  of  seven  circular  islands  or  continents,  each  surrounded 
by  a different  ocean.  The  central  or  metropolitan  island,  destined 
to  be  the  abode  of  man,  is  named  Jamba  Dwip,  around  which  rolls 
the  sea  of  salt  water  ; next  follows  the  second  circular  island,  and 
around  it  the  sea  of  sugar-cane  juice  ; then  the  third,  and  around 
it  the  sea  of  spirituous  liquors  ; then  the  fourth,  and  around  it  the 
sea  of  clarified  butter  ; then  the  fifth,  and  around  it  the  sea  of  sour 
curds  ; then  the  sixth,  and  around  it  the  sea  of  milk  ; then  the  sev- 
enth and  last,  and  around  it  the  sea  of  sweet  water.  Beyond  this 
last  ocean  is  an  uninhabited  country  of  pure  gold,  so  prodigious  in 
extent  that  it  equals  all  the  islands,  with  their  accompanying  oceans, 
in  magnitude.  It  is  begirt  with  a bounding  wall  of  stupendous 
mountains,  which  inclose  within  their  bosom  realms  of  everlasting 
darkness. 

“ The  central  island,  the  destined  habitation  of  the  human  race, 
is  several  hundred  thousand  miles  in  diameter,  and  the  sea  that 
surrounds  it  is  of  the  same  breadth.  The  second  island  is  double 
the  diameter  of  the  first,  and  so  is  the  sea  that  surrounds  it.  And 
each  of  the  remaining  islands  and  seas,  in  succession,  is  double  the 
breadth  of  its  immediate  predecessor ; so  that  the  diameter  of  the 
whole  earth  amounts  to  several  hundred  thousand  millions  of  miles 
— occupying  a portion  of  space  of  manifold  larger  dimensions  than 
that  which  actually  intervenes  between  the  earth  and  the  sun ! 
Yea.  far  beyond  this  ; for,  if  we  could  form  a conception  of  a circu- 


82 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


lar  mass  of  solid  matter  whose  diameter  exceeded  that  of  the  orbit 
of  Herschel,  the  most  distant  planet  in  our  solar  system,  such  a 
mass  would  not  equal  in  magnitude  the  Earth  of  the  Hindoo 
Mythologists ! 

“ In  the  midst  of  this  almost  immeasurable  plain,  from  the  very 
center  of  Jamba  Dwip,  shoots  up  the  loftiest  of  mountains, 
Su-Meru,  to  the  height  of  several  hundred  thousand  miles,  in  the 
form  of  an  inverted  pyramid,  having  its  summit,  which  is  two  hun- 
dred times  broader  than  the  base,  surmounted  by  three  swelling 
cones — the  highest  of  these  cones  transpiercing  upper  vacancy 
with  three  golden  peaks,  on  which  are  situate  the  favorite  resi- 
dences of  the  sacred  Triad.  At  its  base,  like  so  many  giant  senti- 
nels, stand  four  lofty  hills,  on  each  of  which  grows  a mango-tree 
several  thousand  miles  in  height,  bearing  fruit  delicious  as  nectar, 
and  of  the  enormous  size  of  many  hundred  cubits.  From  these 
mangoes,  as  they  fall,  flows  a mighty  river  of  perfumed  juice,  so 
communicative  of  its  sweetness  that  those  who  partake  of  it  exhale 
the  odor  from  their  persons  all  around  to  the  distance  of  many 
leagues.  There  also  grow  rose-apple  trees,  whose  fruit  is  ‘ large  as 
elephants,’  and  whose  juice  is  so  plentiful  as  to  form  another 
mighty  river,  that  converts  the  earth  over  which  it  passes  into 
purest  gold  ! ” — Duff’s  India  and  India  Missions , p.  1 16. 

Such  is  a brief  notice  of  the  Geographical  outline,  furnished  by 
their  sacred  writings,  of  the  world  on  which  we  dwell.  In  turning 
to  the  superior  worlds  we  obtain  a glimpse  of  some  of  the  revela- 
tions of  Hindoo  A stronorny. 

“ The  second  world  in  the  ascending  series,  or  that  which  imme- 
diately over-vaults  the  earth,  is  the  region  of  space  between  us  and 
the  sun,  which  is  declared,  on  divine  authority,  to  be  distant  only  a 
few  hundred  thousand  miles.  The  third  in  the  upward  ascent  is 
the  region  of  space  intermediate  between  the  sun  and  the  pole  star. 
Within  this  region  are  all  the  planetary  and  stellar  mansions.  The 
distances  of  the  principal  heavenly  luminaries  are  given  with  the 
utmost  precision.  The  moon  is  placed  beyond  the  sun  as  far  as 
the  sun  is  from  the  earth.  Next  succeed  at  equal  distances  from 


HINDOO  ASTRONOMY. 


83 


each  other,  and  in  the  following  order,  the  stars,  Mercury,  (beyond 
the  stars,)  Venus,  Mars,  Jupiter,  Saturn,  Ursa  Major,  and  the  Pole 
Star.  The  four  remaining  worlds  (beyond  the  Pole  Star)  continue 
to  rise,  one  above  the  other,  at  immense  and  increasing  intervals. 
The  entire  circumference  of  the  celestial  space  is  then  given  with 
the  utmost  exactitude  of  numbers. 

“ In  all  of  these  superior  worlds  are  framed  heavenly  mansions,  dif- 
fering in  glory,  destined  to  form  the  habitation  of  various  orders  of 
celestial  spirits.  In  the  seventh,  or  highest,  is  the  chief  residence 
of  Brahma,  said  by  one  of  the  “ divine  sages”  to  be  so  glorious  that 
he  could  not  describe  it  in  two  hundred  years,  as  it  contains,  in  a 
superior  degree,  every  thing  which  is  precious,  or  beautiful,  or 
magnificent  in  all  the  other  heavens.  What  then  must  it  be,  when 
we  consider  the  surpassing  grandeur  of  some  of  these  ? Glance, 
for  example,  at  the  heaven  which  is  prepared  in  the  third  world, 
and  intended  for  Indra — head  and  king  of  the  different  ranks  and 
degrees  of  subordinate  deities.  Its  palaces  are  ‘all  of  purest  gold, 
so  replenished  with  vessels  of  diamonds,  and  columns  and  orna- 
ments of  jasper,  and  sapphire,  and  emerald,  and  all  manner  of 
precious  stones,  that  it  shines  with  a splendor  exceeding  the 
brightness  of  twelve  thousand  suns.  Its  streets  are  of  the  clearest 
crystal,  fringed  with  fine  gold.  It  is  surrounded  with  forests 
abounding  with  all  kinds  of  trees  and  flowering  shrubs,  whose 
sweet  odors  are  diffused  all  around  for  hundreds  of  miles.  It  is 
bestudded  with  gardens  and  pools  of  water  ; warm  in  winter  and 
cool  in  summer,  richly  stored  with  fish,  water-fowl,  and  lilies,  blue, 
red,  and  white,  spreading  out  a hundred  or  a thousand  petals. 
Winds  there  are,  but  they  are  ever  refreshing,  storms  and  sultry 
heats  being  unknown.  Clouds  there  are,  but  they  are  light  and 
fleecy,  and  fantastic  canopies  of  glory.  Thrones  there  are,  which 
blaze  like  the  coruscations  of  lightning,  enough  to  dazzle  any  mortal 
vision.  And  warbiings  there  are,  of  sweetest  melody,  with  all  the 
inspiring  harmonies  of  music  and  of  song,  among  bowers  that  are 
ever  fragrant  and  ever  green.’  ” — P.  1 1 8. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  these  descriptions  are  not  to  be 


84 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


taken  as  figurative  and  emblematic,  as  is  appropriate  to  a state  of 
glory  of  whose  nature  and  details  the  heart  of  man  cannot  con- 
ceive, but  that  they  are  to  be  understood,  as  they  are  taught,  in 
the  strictest  literality. 

The  Vedas  are  undoubtedly  the  oldest  writings  in  the  world, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Pentateuch.  Colebrook  supposes  that 
they  were  compiled  in  the  fourteenth  century  before  Christ.  Sir 
William  Jones  assigns  them  to  the  sixteenth  century.  They  are 
certainly  not  less  than  three  thousand  years  old.  Veda  is  from  the 
Sanscrit  root  vid,  to  know,  the  Veda  being  considered  the  foun- 
tain of  all  knowledge,  human  and  divine.  A Veda,  in  its  strict 
sense,  is  simply  a Sanhita,  or  collection  of  hymns.  There  are 
three  Vedas,  the  Rig-Veda,  the  Yajur  Veda,  and  the  Sama-Vcda. 
The  fourth,  the  Atharva  Veda , is  of  more  modern  date  and  doubt- 
ful authority.  The  Hindoos  hold  that  the  Vedas  are  coeval  with 
creation.  As  to  their  several  contents,  the  Rig-Veda  consists  of 
prayers  and  hymns  to  various  deities  ; the  Yajur  Veda,  of  ordi- 
nances about  sacrifices  and  other  religious  rites  ; the  Sama-  Veda 
is  made  up  of  various  lyrical  pieces,  and  the  Atharva  Veda  chiefly 
of  incantations  against  enemies. 

The  Rig-  Veda  is  the  oldest  and  most  authentic  of  all,  and  many 
scholars  consider  that  from  it  the  others  were  formed.  The  Hin- 
doo writers  attach  to  each  Veda  a class  of  compositions,  chiefly 
liturgical  and  legendary,  called  Brahmanas , and  they  have  besides 
a sort  of  expository  literature,  metaphysical  and  mystical,  called 
Upanishads.  They  have  also  an  immense  body  of  Vedic  literature, 
including  philology,  commentaries,  Sutras  or  aphorisms,  etc.,  the 
study  of  which  would  form  occupation  for  a long  and  laborious  life. 
The  remote  antiquity  of  the  Vedas  is  indicated,  among  other  rea- 
sons, by  the  entire  absence  of  most  of  the  modern  doctrines  of 
Hindooism,  such  as  the  worship  of  the  Triad,  the  names  of  the 
modern  deities,  the  doctrines  of  transmigration,  caste,  incarna- 
tions, suttee,  etc.,  which  are  now  the  cardinal  points  of  Hindooism, 
and  the  personified  Triad  of  divine  attributes,  Brahma,  Vishnu, 
and  Shiva,  in  their  capacities  of  Creator,  Preserver,  and  Destroyer, 


T1IE  VEDAS. 


85 


with  the  popular  forms  of  the  two  latter,  Krishna  and  the  Linga, 
and  all  the  manifestations  of  the  bride  of  Mahadeva  certainly  were 
utterly  unknown  to  the  primitive  texts  of  the  religion  of  the 
Hindoos. 

The  Rig-Veda  Sanhita  (a  complete  copy  of  which  is  before  us 
as  we  write)  was  translated  from  the  original  Sanscrit  by  Horace 
H.  Wilson,  and  published  in  English  in  four  volumes,  the  first 
being  issued  in  1850,  and  the  last  in  1866.  The  learned  Intro- 
duction which  the  translator  attached  to  the  first  volume,  and  an 
extensive  and  discriminating  notice  in  the  Calcutta  Review  for  1859, 
assist  us  in  our  description  of  these  venerable  writings. 

The  Rig-Veda  is  a miscellaneous  collection  of  hymns.  Each 
hymn  is  called  a Sukta.  The  whole  work  is  divided  into  eight 
books,  or  Ashtakas.  Each  Ashtaka  is  subdivided  into  eight 
Adhyayas,  or  chapters,  containing  an  arbitrary  number  of  Suktas. 
The  whole  number  of  hymns  in  the  Rig-Veda  is  about  a thousand. 
Each  Sukta  has  for  its  reputed  author  a Rishi,  or  inspired  teacher, 
by  whom,  in  Brahminical  phraseology,  it  has  been  originally  seen, 
that  is,  to  whom  it  was  revealed  ; the  Vedas  being,  according  to 
mythological  fictions,  the  uncreated  dictation  of  Brahma.  Each 
hymn  is  addressed  to  some  deity  or  deities. 

Who  are  the  gods  to  whom  the  prayers  and  praises  are  ad- 
dressed ? Here  we  find  a striking  difference  between  the  mythol- 
ogy of  the  Rig-  Veda  and  that  of  the  heroic  poems  and  Puranas, 
which  come  so  long  after  them.  The  divinities  worshiped  are  not 
unknown  to  later  systems,  but  they  there  perform  very  subordinate 
parts,  while  those  deities  who  are  the  great  gods — the  Dii  Majores 
— of  the  subsequent  and  present  period,  are  either  wholly  unnamed 
in  the  Veda,  or  are  noticed  in  an  inferior  and  different  capacity. 
The  names  of  Shiva,  of  Mahadeva,  of  Durga,  of  Kali,  of  Rama,  of 
Krishna,  never  occur,  and  there  is  not  the  slightest  allusion  to  the 
form  in  which,  for  the  last  ten  centuries  at  least,  Shiva  seems  to 
have  been  almost  exclusively  worshiped  in  India,  that  of  the  Linga 
or  Phallus  ; neither  is  there  any  hint  of  another  important  feature 
of  later  Hindooism,  the  Trimurti , or  Triune  combination  of  Brah- 


86 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


ma,  Vishnu,  and  Shiva,  as  typified  by  the  mystical  syllable  Om, 
although,  according  to  high  Brahminical  authority,  the  Trimurti 
was  the  first  element  in  the  faith  of  the  Hindoos,  and  the  second 
was  the  Linga. 

The  deities  mentioned  in  the  Vedas  are  numerous,  and  of  differ- 
ent sexes.  The  leading  ones  are  Indra,  Agni,  and  Surya ; and  the 
female  deities  are  Ushas,  Saraswati,  Sinivali,  etc.  “The  wives  of 
the  gods”  are  spoken  of  as  a large  number,  and  are  often  invoked. 
The  operations  and  powers  of  nature  are  deified,  as  the  Murats,  the 
winds  ; the  Aswins,  the  sons  of  the  sun  ; and  even  the  cows  aie 
invoked  in  a special  Sukta. — Vol.  iii,  p.  440.  In  fact,  the  deities, 
inferior  and  superior,  of  the  Vedas  may  be  counted  by  the  dozen, 
and  the  work  is  manifestly  polytheistic  to  the  core  in  its  teaching 
and  tendencies.  The  evidence  of  this  is  on  every  page. 

For  the  general  reader,  the  mystery  that  covered  the  Vedas  is  a 
mystery  no  longer  ; all  that  they  contain  stands  out  for  public  view 
in  the  common  light  of  day.  Except  as  to  grammatical  construc- 
tion and  translation  into  modern  words,  we  are  far  abler  to  discover 
and  understand  what  story  these  ancient  documents  tell  than  is  any 
of  the  Pundits.  P'or,  in  ascertaining  their  sense,  we  have  to  deal 
with  questions  of  race,  of  language,  of  history,  of  chronology,  and 
external  influences  ; questions  unknown,  and  therefore  unintelligi- 
ble, to  the  Hindoo  mind.  Forbidden  to  the  Sudras,  inaccessible 
from  their  rarity  and  high  price  to  most  of  the  Brahmins,  for  that 
very  reason  they  are  the  objects  of  a more  profound  and  supersti- 
tious veneration  ; and,  if  any  thing  can  be  supposed,  a priori,  to 
startle  and  excite  all  Hindustan,  it  is  surely  the  announcement  that 
the  Vedas  have  become  public  property,  and  that  Sudra  and 
Mlechcha  (barbarian)  may  read  them  at  his  will. 

It  was  almost  entirely  from  such  writings  as  these  that  European 
scholars  had  to  undertake  the  compilation  of  a true  chronology  and 
history  for  India.  The  task  was  certainly  not  an  easy  one.  It 
was  like  this : Given  the  Psalms  of  David,  to  discover  from  these 
alone  the  manners,  customs,  religions,  arts,  sciences,  history,  chro- 
nology, and  origin  of  the  Jewish  nation  ; to  classify  the  hymns  too, 


BEEF-EATING  SANCTIONED  BY  TIIE  VEDA. 


87 


and  assign  to  each  its  time  and  author,  with  no  other  help  than  the 
heading  to  each  Psalm,  added  by  a later  hand.  Knowing,  as  we 
do,  that  they  range  almost  from  Moses  till  after  the  captivity — at 
least  seven  hundred  years — the  later  parts  of  the  task  alone  would 
demand  all  the  resources  of  scholarship.  It  is  true  that  the  Vedic 
hymns  are  ten  times  more  numerous  than  the  Psalms,  but  they  are 
at  the  same  time  ten  times  more  monotonous,  and  full  of  wearisome 
repetitions,  under-  which  even  Professor  Wilson’s  patience  gives 
way.  In  our  Sacred  Books  the  Code  precedes,  and  the  history 
precedes,  accompanies,  and  follows  the  Psalms.  With  the  Hindoo 
the  Code  comes  after  the  hymns,  and  has  to  do  with  a different 
stage  of  society,  and  the  history  never  comes  at  all!  Nevertheless, 
the  Vedas,  with  all  their  difficulties,  throw  a flood  of  light  upon 
the  origin  and  early  state  of  the  Hindoos. 

The  people  among  whom  the  Vedas  were  composed,  as  here 
introduced  to  us,  had  evidently  passed  the  nomadic  stage.  Their 
wealth  consisted  of  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  goats,  and  buffaloes. 
Coined  money,  and  indeed  money  in  any  shape,  was  unknown. 
We  meet  but  two  allusions  to  gold,  except  for  the  purpose  of  orna- 
ments. The  cow  was  to  the  Vedic  Hindoo  at  once  food  and 
money.  It  supplied  him  with  milk,  butter,  ghee,  curds,  and 
cheese.  Oxen  ploughed  his  fields,  and  carried  his  goods  and  chat- 
tels. He  preserved  the  Soma-juice  in  a bag  of  cow-skin,  {Rig -Veda, 
vol.  I,  p.  72,)  and  the  cow-hide  girt  his  chariot.  (Vol.  Ill,  p.  475.) 
No  idea  of  sacrcdness  was  connected  with  the  cow ; and  it  is  quite 
clear,  however  abhorrent  and  revolting  the  truth  may  appear  to 
their  descendants,  that  in  the  golden  age  of  their  ancestors  the 
Hindoos  were  a cowkilling  and  beef -eating  people,  and  that  cattle 
are  declared  in  the  Vedas  to  be  the  very  best  of  food ! Yet  modern 
Hindooism  holds  it  to  be  a deadly  sin  to  kill  a cow,  or  eat  beef,  or 
to  use  intoxicating  drink,  and  they  dare  to  assert  that  this  was 
always  their  creed.  We  quote  texts  which  leave  no  room  for  a 
doubt  on  this,  to  them,  important  fact : 

“ Agni,  descendant  of  Bharata,  thou  art  entirely  ours  when  sac- 
rificed to  with  pregnant  kine,  barren  cows,  or  bulls.” 


88 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


“ Agni,  the  friend  of  Indra,  has  quickly  consumed  three  hundred 
buffaloes.” 

“When  thou  hast  eaten  the  flesh  of  the  three  hundred  buffaloes.” 

“ Bestow  upon  him  who  glorifies  thee,  divine  Indra,  food,  the  ' 
chiefest  of  which  is  cattle.” — Vol.  II,  p.  225  ; III,  p.  276. 

“ Sever  his  joints,  Indra,  as  butchers  cut  up  a cow.” — Vol.  Ill, 
p.  458  ; I,  p.  165. 

What  an  amount  of  beef-eating  is  implied  in  a sacrifice  of  three 
hundred  buffaloes  ! the  greater  part,  as  usual,  being  devoured  by 
the  assistants.  The  cooking  is  very  minutely  and  graphically 
described  in  vol.  II,  pp.  117,  etc.  Part  was  roasted  on  spits,  while 
the  attendants  eagerly  watched  the  joints,  sniffing  up  the  grateful 
fumes,  and  saying,  “ It  is  fragrant.”  The  queens  and  wives  of  the 
sacrificers  assisted  in  cooking  and  preparing  the  banquet,  which, 
on  particular  occasions,  alluded  to  in  the  text,  consisted  of  horse- 
flesh ! All  was  washed  down  with  copious  libations  of  a strong 
spirit,  made  from  the  juice  of  the  soma  plant.  Rishi  Kakshivat 
had  in  every  way  most  unclerical  propensities.  He  thanks  the 
Aswins  most  cordially  for  giving  him  a cask  holding  a hundred 
jars  of  wine,  (vol.  I,  p.  308 ;)  and  Rishi  Vaniadeva,  who  was  taken 
out  of  his  mother’s  side,  solicits  Indra  (vol.  Ill,  p.  185)  for  a hun- 
dred jars  of  soma-juice.  Rishi  Agastya  also,  in  a queer,  half-crazy 
Sukta,  (vol.  II,  p.  200,)  writes  of  “a  leather  bottle  in  the  house  of 
a vender  of  spirits .”  These  were  the  men  that  fought  Alexandei 
the  Great.  After  such  a feast  of  the  gods,  Indra  puts  forth  all  his 
might,  and  destroys  the  fiercest  of  the  Asuras,  (the  evil  spirits.) 

The  social  position  of  woman,  this  Veda  demonstrates,  was  con- 
siderably higher  than  it  is  in  modern  India.  She  is  spoken  of 
kindly  and  pleasantly  as  “the  light  of  the  dwelling.”  The  Rishi 
and  h:s  wife  converse  on  equal  terms,  go  together  to  the  sacrifice, 
and  practice  austerities  together.  Lovely  maidens  appear  in  a 
procession.  Grown-up  unmarried  daughters  remain  without  re- 
proach in  their  father’s  house.  Now,  all  this  is  the  reverse  of  the 
Hindooism  of  the  present  day.  On  the  other  hand,  we  have  a case 
of  polygamy  of  the  most  shameful  kind.  Kakshivat,  one  of  the 


THE  WORSHIP  OF  THE  VEDA. 


89 


most  illustrious  of  the  Rishis,  married  ten  sisters  at  once,  (vol.  II, 
p.  17  ;)  and,  if  the  tone  of  female  society  is  to  be  judged  of  from  the 
wife  even  of  a Rishi,  or  from  a lady  who  is  herself  the  author  of  a 
Sukta,  women  in  those  days  were  no  better  than  they  should  be. 

A gallant,  deep-drinking,  high-feeding  race  were  the  wild  war- 
riors of  the  Indus,  and  very  unlike  their  descendants. 

The  picture  of  Hindoo  life  and  manners,  at  the  time  of  the  Mace- 
donian invasion,  (326  B.  C.,)  was  darkly  shaded.  The  Hindoo  even 
then  had  degenerated  ; and  the  “ Life  of  an  Eastern  King”  on  the 
banks  of  the  Indus  differed  little  in  its  shameless  details  from  that 
of  his  modern  successor  at  Lucknow,  on  the  banks  of  the  Goomtee. 

Rufus  Curtius  Quintus,  the  historian  of  Alexander,  writes  of  the 
Hindoos  thus:  “The  shameful  luxuries  of  their  prince  surpasses 
that  of  all  other  nations.  He  reclines  in  a golden  palankeen,  with 
pearl  hangings.  The  dresses  which  he  puts  on  are  embroidered 
with  purple  and  gold.  The  pillars  of  his  palace  are  gilt ; and  a 
running  pattern  of  a vine,  carved  in  gold,  and  figures  of  birds,  in 
silver,  ornament  each  column.  The  durbar  is  held  while  he  combs 
and  dresses  his  hair  ; then  he  receives  embassadors,  and  decides 
cases.  . . . The  women  prepare  the  banquet  and  pour  out  the 
wine,  to  which  all  the  Indians  are  greatly  addicted.  Whenever  he, 
or  his  queen,  went  on  a journey,  crowds  of  dancing  girls  in  gilt 
palankeens  attended  ; and  when  he  became  intoxicated  they  carried 
him  to  his  couch.” — LiberWlll,  32.  And,  if  we  are  to  believe  his 
biographer,  into  such  a vile,  sensual  thing  as  this  the  great  Alex- 
ander himself  was  rapidly  degenerating  at  that  very  time ! 

The  religion  of  the  Vedas,  then,  was  Nature  worship ; light, 
careless,  and  irreverent,  utterly  animal  in  its  inmost  spirit,  with 
little  or  no  sense  of  sin,  no  longings  or  hopes  of  immortality, 
nothing  high,  serious,  or  thoughtful.  There  was  no  love  in  their 
worship.  They  cared  only  for  wealth,  victory,  animal  gratification, 
and  freedom  from  disease.  The  tiger  of  the  forest  might  have 
joined  in  such  prayers,  and  said,  “ Grant  me  health,  a comfortable 
den,  plenty  of  deer  and  cows,  and  strength  to  kill  any  intruder  on 
my  beat!”  “The  blessings  they  implore,”  says  Professor  Wilson, 


90 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


“are  for  the  most  part  of  a temporal  and  personal  description — 
wealth,  food,  life,  posterity,  cattle,  cows,  and  horses  ; protection 
against  enemies,  victory  over  them,  and  sometimes  their  destruc- 
tion. There  are  a few  indications  of  a hope  of  immortality  and  of 
future  happiness,  but  they  are  neither  frequent,  nor,  in  general,  dis- 
tinctly announced.  In  one  or  two  passages  Yama,  and  his  office 
of  ruler  of  the  dead,  are  obscurely  alluded  to.  There  is  little 
demand  for  moral  benefactions.” — Vol.  I,  p.  25. 

So  merely  fanciful,  so  wearisome  and  monotonous,  so  contempt- 
uously irreverent  are  the  great  bulk  of  these  Vedic  prayers,  (to 
Indra  especially,)  that  Professor  Wilson,  with  all  his  patience,  can 
scarce  believe  them  to  be  earnest.  Take,  for  instance,  the  following 
Hymn.  It  is  addressed  to  the  goddess  Anna  Devata,  personified 
as  Pitu,  or  material  food,  and  is  recited  by  a Brahmin  when  about  to 
eat.  Pitu  is  also  identified  with  the  Soma  juice,  mentioned  below. 
The  Rishi  is  Agastya,  and  the  reader  can  judge  if  any  utterances 
(and  this,  too,  professing  to  be  sacred  and  inspired)  that  he  has  ever 
seen,  more  fully  illustrates  the  words  of  Holy  Writ,  “ Whose  God  is 
their  belly,  whose  glory  is  their  shame,  who  mind  earthly  things : ” 

“ 1.  I glorify  Pitu,  the  great,  the  upholder,  the  strong,  by  whose 
invigorating  power  Trita  slew  the  mutilated  Vritra. 

“ 2.  Savory  Pitu  ; sweet  Pitu  ; we  worship  thee : become  our 
protector. 

“ 6.  The  thoughts  of  the  mighty  gods  are  fixed,  Pitu,  upon  thee : 
by  thy  kind  and  intelligent  assistance  Indra  slew  Ahi. 

“ 8.  And  since  we  enjoy  the  abundance  of  the  waters  and  the 
plants,  therefore,  Body,  do  thou  grow  fat ! 

“ 9.  And  since  we  enjoy,  Soma,  thy  mixture  with  boiled  milk  or 
boiled  barley,  therefore,  Body,  do  thou  grow  fat ! 

“ 10.  Vegetable  cake  of  fried  meal,  do  thou  be  substantial,  whole- 
some, and  invigorating  ; and,  Body,  do  thou  grow  fat ! 

“ 11.  We  extract  from  thee,  Pitu,  by  our  praises,  the  sacrificial 
food,  as  cows  yield  butter  for  oblation  ; from  thee,  who  art  exhila- 
rating to  the  gods  ; exhilarating  also  to  us.” — Rig-Vcda,  Vol.  II,  p. 
194,  Sukta  viii. 


DRUNKEN  WORSHIP  OF  THE  VEDA. 


91 


In  a similar  strain  the  Soma-plant  is  addressed. 

It  was  bruised  between  two  stones,  mixed  with  milk  or  barley 
juice,  and,  when  fermented,  formed  a strong,  inebriating,  ardent 
spirit — probably  not  very  unlike  the  whisky  of  the  present  day. 

It  appears  that  the  Rishis  of  the  Vedas  introduced  this  custom, 
or  belief,  into  religion.  Indra  and  all  the  other  gods  are  every- 
where represented  as  unable  to  perform  any  great  exploit  without 
the  inspiration  of  the  Soma,  or,  in  plain  English,  until  they  were 
more  or  less  drunk  ! Hear  the  Veda  : 

“ May  our  Soma  libation  reach  you,  exhilarating,  invigorating, 
inebriating,  most  precious.  It  is  companionable,  Indra,  enjoyable, 
the  overthrower  of  hosts,  immortal. 

“Thy  inebriety  is  most  intense:  nevertheless  thy  acts  are  most 
beneficent.” — Vol.  II,  p.  169. 

“ Savory  indeed  is  this  Soma  ; sweet  it  is,  sharp,  and  full  of  flavor  ; 
no  one  is  able  to  encounter  Indra  in  battle,  after  he  has  been 
quaffing  this — by  drinking  of  it  Indra  has  been  elevated  to  the 
slaying  of  Vritra,”  etc. — Vol.  Ill,  p.  470. 

“ The  stomach  of  Indra  is  as  capacious  a receptacle  of  Soma  as 
a lake.” — Vol.  Ill,  p.  60.  “The  belly  of  Indra,  which  quaffs  the 
Soma  juice  abundantly,  swells  like  the  ocean,  and  is  ever  moist,  like 
the  ample  fluids  of  the  palate.” — Vol.  Ill,  pp.  17,  231,  232.  “ Indra, 
quaff  the  Soma  juice,  repeatedly  shaking  it  from  your  beard.” — Vol. 
II,  p.  233.  What  common  revelry  is  expressed  in  the  following 
verse : “ Saints  and  sages,  sing  the  holy  strain  aloud,  like  scream- 
ing swans,  and,  together  with  the  gods,  drink  the  sweet  juice  of  the 
Soma.”— Vol.  Ill,  p.  86. 

This  license  runs  riot,  and  “ the  goddesses,  the  wives  of  the 
gods,”  (Vol.  III.  p.  316,)  with  earthly  ladies,  one  of  them  (Viswa- 
vara)  herself  a Rishi  and  compiler  of  a Sukta  (Vol.  Ill,  p.  273) 
in  which  she  prays  for  “ concord  between  man  and  wife,”  all  are 
joined — gods,  goddesses,  and  “divine  Rishis” — in  high  carousal. 
But,  then,  mark  what  Rishi  Avatsara  says  of  this  lady,  Viswavara, 
and  of  his  brother  Rishis,  and  the  rest  of  the  boisterous  crew,  all 
“gloriously  drunk”  together: 


92 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


“ii.  Swift  is  the  excessive  and  girt-distending  inebriation  of 
Viswavara,  Yajata,  and  Mayin : by  drinking  of  these  juices  they 
urge  one  another  to  drink : they  find  the  copious  draught  the 
prompt  giver  of  intoxication  !” — Vol.  Ill,  p.  31 1. 

And  this  was  the  worship  of  Ancient  India  ! Jolly  and  easy  are 
^the  terms  on  which  deity  and  worshiper  meet  together  for  their 
wassail ! Prajapate  addresses  his  god  thus  : “ Indra,  the  showerer 
of  benefits,  drink  the  Soma  offered  after  the  other  presentations, 
for  thine  exhilaration  for  battle ; take  into  thy  belly  the  full  wave 
of  the  inebriating  Soma,  for  thou  art  lord  of  libations  from  the 
days  of  old!”  (Vol.  Ill,  p.  75.)  But  the  Rishi  Viswamitra  evi- 
dently thought  that,  under  the  circumstances,  there  was  no  use  in 
standing  upon  even  Hindoo  ceremony,  so  he  says  to  his  deity  : 
“ Sit  down,  Indra,  upon  the  sacred  grass — and  when  thou  hast 
drunk  the  Soma,  then,  Indra,  go  home!”  finishing  up  the  address 
by  reminding  him  that  the  hungry ' steeds  in  his  car  at  the  door 
need  consideration,  and  require  their  provender  ! — Vol.  Ill,  p.  84. 

How  melancholy  and  degrading  is  all  this — god,  worshiper,  and 
the  traffic  between  them  ! But  one  grade  above  the  beasts  that 
perish  ; yet  these  are  the  teachings  of  the  most  sacred  of  the  so- 
called  “ Holy  Vedas  ? ” This  drunken  worship  realizes  and  sur- 
passes Dionysius  and  the  Bacchanals  themselves. 

These  besotted  mortals  had  evidently  reached  that  stage  of 
debasement  when  men  can  suppose  that  the  Almighty  “was  alto- 
gether such  a one  as  themselves,”  and  when  they  can  “ call  evil 
good  ” and  “ put  darkness  for  light.”  Well  might  the  reviewer 
exclaim,  from  the  abundant  and  fearful  evidence  before  him  that, 
“No  zvorship  ever  mocked  the  skies  more  miserable  and  contemptible 
than  the  religion  of  the  Veda  ! ” 

But,  what  are  wc  to  think  of  professedly  enlightened  Hindoos, 
like  Rajah  Rammohun  Roy,  or  this  modern  Baboo,  Keshnb  Chun- 
dee  Sen,  who,  if  they  ever  read  the  Vedas,  of  which  they  talk  so 
glibly,  must  surely  have  dared  to  presume  upon  the  ignorance  of 
their  auditors,  when  they  had  the  temerity,  in  a day  like  this,  and 
before  a London  audience,  to  assert  that  “ the  worship  of  Almighty 


DECEPTION  AS  TO  CONTENTS  OF  THE  VEDA.  93 

God  in  his  unity,”  and  “a  pure  system  of  theism”  are  taught  in 
the  Vedas?  — Men,  who  after  all  this  have  the  impertinence  to 
assume  a patronizing  aspect  toward  Christianity,  and  superciliously 
inform  us  that,  however  good  or  pure  our  faith  is  in  itself,  its  doc- 
trine and  services  are  not  needed  in  India,  because  “the  Holy 
Vedas”  contain  all  that  is  requisite  for  the  regeneration  of  tjieir 
country  ! Yet  this  is  said  and  repeated,  and  Miss  Carpenter  and 
her  Unitarian  friends  clap  their  hands,  applaud  the  assertions,  and 
lionize  the  man  who  utters  them,  and  commend  the  Brahmo  Sotnaj, 
of  which  he  is  the  High  Priest ! Do  not  such  people  deserve  to  be 
deceived  ? and  is  it  really  a violation  of  Christian  charity  to  fear  that 
such  persons, must  be  given  over  to  “strong  delusion”  when  they 
can  believe  such  “a  lie”  as  this? 

After  a careful  examination,  from  beginning  to  end,  of  this  ven- 
erable and  lauded  work,  (the  doors  of  which  have  so  lately  opened 
for  the  admission  of  mankind,)  with  the  remembrance  in  my 
mind  of  the  long  years  when  men  have  listened  to  the  reiterations 
of  its  holiness,  as  the  very  source  of  all  Hindoo  faith — the  oracle 
from  which  Vedantic  Philosophy  has  drawn  its  inspiration,  the 
temple  at  whose  mere  portal  so  many  millions  have  bowed  in  such 
awe  and  reverence,  with  its  interior  too  holy  for  common  sight, 
containing,  as  it  was  asserted,  all  that  was  worth  knowing,  the 
primitive  original  truth  that  could  regenerate  India,  and  make 
even  Christianity  unnecessary — well,  with  no  feelings  save  those 
of  deep  interest  and  a measure  of  respect,  we  have  entered  and 
walked  from  end  to  end,  to  find  ourselves  shocked  at  every  step 
with  the  revelations  of  this  mystery  of  iniquity  and  sensuality, 
where  saints  and  gods,  male  and  female,  hold  high  orgies  amid  the 
fumes  of  intoxicating  liquor,  with  their  singing  and  “ screaming,” 
and  the  challenging  by  which  “ they  urge  one  another  ” on  to 
deeper  debasement,  until  at  length  decency  retires  and  leaves  them 
“ glorying  in  their  shame  ! ” 

The  sad  samples  which  we  have  presented  are  taken  at  random, 
and  can  be  matched  by  hundreds  of  passages  equally  contemptible  ; 
while  we  have  purposely  avoided  quoting  Suktas  and  verses  whose 


94 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


indelicacy  is  even  worse  than  these  ; nor  have  we  found,  because 
it  is  not  there,  any  thing  pure,  sublime,  or  good,  with  which  to 
offset  the  vileness  here  laid  before  the  reader.  Coming  out  again 
from  the  gloomy  scenes  of  these  “ works  of  darkness  ” into  the 
light  and  purity  of  our  blessed  Bible,  with  all  its  “ fruits  of  the 
Spirit,”  never  before  were  we  so  thankful  for  our  holy  religion,  nor 
have  we  ever  felt  as  deep  a compassion  for  the  millions  so  shame- 
fully and  so  long  deluded  by  the  false  and  follow  pretensions  of 
the  Vedic  teaching. 

Before  dismissing  the  subject  I will,  for  the  sake  of  such  readers 
as  may  not  have  seen  an  entire  Sukta  of  the  Veda,  quote  one  in 
full,  so  that  he  may  have  a complete  view  of  the  “ holiest  ” and 
most  venerable  of  all  India’s  “Scriptures,”  selecting  one,  however, 
that  may  be  regarded  as  respectable  in  its  ideas  and  language.  I 
take  the  fifth  Sukta,  on  page  38  of  volume  I of  the  Rig-Veda.  The 
Rishi  (or  author)  is  Medhalithi,  the  son  of  Kanwa,  and  the  hymn 
is  addressed  to  Indra,  their  God  of  the  Heavens  : 

“ Sukta  V. 

“ 1.  Indra,  let  thy  coursers  hither  bring  thee,  bestower  of  desires, 
to  drink  the  Soma  juice  ; may  the  priests,  radiant  of  the  sun, 
make  thee  manifest. 

“ 2.  Let  his  coursers  convey  Indra  in  an  easy-moving  chariot 
hither,  where  these  grains  of  parched  barley,  steeped  in  clarified 
butter,  are  strewn  upon  the  altar. 

“ 3.  We  invoke  Indra  at  the  morning  rite,  we  invoke  him  at  the 
succeeding  sacrifice,  we  invoke  Indra  to  drink  the  Soma  juice. 

“4.  Come,  Indra,  to  our  libation,  with  thy  long-maned  steeds; 
the  libation  being  poured  out,  we  invoke  thee. 

“ 5.  Do  thou  accept  this  our  praise,  and  come  to  this  our  sacrifice, 
for  which  the  libation  is  prepared  ; drink  like  a thirsty  stag. 

“6.  These  dripping  Soma  juices  are  effused  upon  the  sacred 
grass  ; drink  them,  Indra,  to  recruit  thy  vigor. 

“ 7.  May  this  our  excellent  hymn,  touching  thy  heart,  be  grateful 
to  thee,  and  thence  drink  the  effused  libation. 


TUE  RAMA  YANA. 


95 


“8.  India,  the  destroyer  of  enemies,  repairs  assuredly  to  every 
ceremony  where  the  libation  is  poured  out,  to  drink  the  Soma 
juice  for  exhilaration. 

“ 9.  Do  thou,  Satakratu,  accomplish  ou.  desire  with  cattle  and 
horses  : profoundly  meditating,  we  praise  thee.” 

As  the  Greeks  and  Romans  had  their  Homer  and  Virgil,  so  the 
Hindoos  have  had  their  Valmiki  and  Yyasa.  The  great  epics  of 
India  are  the  Ramayana  and  the  Mahabarata.  These  stand  peer- 
less in  their  voluminous  literature,  and  have  held  control  of  the 
minds  of  the  people  since  long  before  the  Incarnation. 

The  Ramayana  is  probably  the  most  ancient  and  connected 
epic  poem  in  the  Sanscrit,  and  exceeded  only  by  the  Vedas  in 
antiquity.  It  contains  the  mythical  history  of  Rama,  one  of  the 
incarnations  of  the  god  Vishnu,  and  was  written  by  the  great  poet 
Valmiki.  For  a very  brief  epitome  of  this  wonderful  and  venera- 
ble development  of  Hindoo  literature  we  are  indebted  to  Speir’s 
“ Ancient  India.” 

The  style  and  language  of  the  Ramayana  are  those  of  an  early 
, heroic  age,  and  there  are  signs  of  its  having  been  popular  in  India 
at  least  three  centuries  before  Christ.  The  original  subject  of  the 
poem  is  sometimes  considered  as  mythological,  and  sometimes  as 
heroic  ; but  the  mythological  portions  stand  apart,  and  have  the 
air  of  after-thoughts,  intended  to  give  a religious  and  philosophical 
tone  to  what  was  at  first  a tale  rehearsed  at  festivals  in  praise  of 
the  ancestors  of  kings.  The  mythological  introduction  states  that 
Lanka , or  Ceylon,  had  fallen  under  the  dominion  of  a prince  named 
Ravana,  who  was  a demon  of  such  power  that  by  dint  of  penance  he 
had  extorted  from  the  god  Brahma  a promise  that  no  mortal  should 
destroy  him.  Such  a promise  was  as  relentless  as  the  Greek  Fates, 
from  which  Jove  himself  could  not  escape;  and  Ravana,  now  invul- 
nerable to  man,  gave  up  the  ascetism  he  had  so  long  practiced,  and 
tyrannized  over  the  whole  of  Southern  India  in  a fearful  manner. 
At  length,  even  the  gods  in  heaven  were  distressed  at  the  destruc- 
tion of. holiness  and  oppression  of  virtue  consequent  upon  Ravana's 

6 


96 


TEE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


tyrannies,  and  they  called  a council  in  the  mansion  of  Brahma  to 
consider  how  the  earth  could  be  relieved  from  such  a fiend.  To 
this  council  came  the  “god  Vishnu,  riding  on  the  eagle  Vaiu-a-taya, 
like  the  sun  on  a cloud,  and  his  discus  and  his  mace  in  hand.”  The 
other  gods  entreat  him  to  give  his  aid,  and  he  promises,  in  conse- 
quence, to  be  born  on  earth,  and  to  accomplish  the  destruction  of 
the  terrific  Ravana.  Vishnu  therefore  became  incarnated  (his 
Seventh  Avatar)  as  Rama  or  Ramchundra,  and  his  life  and  exploits 
as  the  celebrated  King  of  Ayodhya,  form  the  subject  of  this, 
the  earliest  epic  poem  of  India.  According  to  this  work,  Rama 
was  born  as  the  son  of  Dasharatha,  King  of  Ayodhya,  the  modern 
Oude.  In  early  life  Rama  married  Seeta,  the  lovely  daughter  of 
the  King  of  Mithili.  But  domestic  trouble,  caused  by  the  intrigues 
of  his  mother-in-law  in  behalf  of  her  own  son,  caused  Rama  and 
Seeta  to  retire  to  the  forests,  and  there  they  lived  the  lives  of  her- 
mits for  years,  till  the  time  for  his  action  should  come.  While  in 
this  seclusion,  Ravana,  the  demon  King  of  Lanka,  (Ceylon,)  who 
had  heard  of  the  beauty  of  Seeta,  resolved  to  steal  her  from  Rama. 
Finding  it  in  vain  to  hope  to  succeed  without  the  aid  of  stratagem, 
he  took  with  him  an  assistant  sorcerer,  disguised  as  a deer ; and  as 
Rama  took  great  pleasure  in  the  chase,  it  was  not  difficult  for  the 
deer  to  lure  him  from  his  cottage  in  pursuit.  He  did  not  leave  his 
beloved  Seeta  without  requesting  Lakshman,  his  brother,  to  remain 
in  charge  ; but  the  wily  deer  knew  how  to  defeat  his  precaution,  and, 
when  transfixed  by  Rama’s  arrow,  he  cried  out  in  the  voice  of 
Rama,  “ O,  Lakshman,  save  me!”  Seeta  heard  the  cry,  and 
entreated  Lakshman  to  fly  to  his  brother’s  rescue.  He  was  un- 
willing to  go,  but  yielded  to  her  earnestness,  and  she  was  left 
alone.  This  being  the  state  of  affairs  which  Ravana  desired,  he 
now  left  his  hiding-place,  and  came  forward,  disguised  as  an  Ascetic 
Brahmin,  in  a red,  threadbare  garment,  with  a single  tuft  of  hair 
upon  his  head,  and  three  sticks  and  a pitcher  in  his  hand.  In  the 
rich,  glowing  poetry  all  creation  is  represented  as  shuddering  at 
his  approach ; birds,  beasts,  and  flowers  were  motionless  with 
dread  ; the  summer  wind  ceased  to  breathe,  and  a shiver  passed 


THE  TEMPTATION  OF  SEETA. 


97 


over  the  bright  waves  of  the  river.  Ravana  stood  for  awhile  look- 
ing at  his  victim,  as  she  sat  weeping  and  musing  over  the  unknown 
cry  ; but  soon  he  approached,  saying,  (we  quote  the  metrical  trans- 
lation here,) 

“O  thou  that  shinest  like  a tree 
With  summer  blossoms  overspread. 

Wearing  that  woven  kusa  robe, 

And  lotus  garland  on  thy  head, 

Why  art  thou  dwelling  here  alone. 

Here  in  this  dreary  forest's  shade, 

Where  range  at  will  all  beasts  of  prey, 

And  demons  prowl  in  every  glade  ? 

Wilt  thou  not  leave  thy  cottage  home, 

And  roam  the  world,  which  stretches  wide — 

See  the  fair  cities  which  men  build, 

And  all  their  gardens  and  their  pride  ? 

Why  longer,  fair  one,  dwell  st  thou  here, 

Feeding  on  roots  and  sylvan  fare. 

When  thou  might’st  dwell  in  palaces. 

And  earth’s  most  costly  jewels  wear  ? 

Fearest  thou  not  the  forest  gloom, 

Which  darkens  round  on  every  side  ? 

Who  art  thou,  say  ! and  whose,  and  whence, 

And  wherefore  dost  thou  here  abide  ? ” 


Even  a lady  alone  is  not  supposed  to  be  necessarily  alarmed  at 
meeting  “ a holy  Brahmin,”  and  the  fiend’s  disguise  was  so  com- 
plete that  only  a temporary  flush  of  excitement  followed  his  sudden 
address.  So  the  poet  continues  : 


“ When  first  these  words  of  Ravana 
Broke  upon  sorrowing  Seeta’s  ear, 

She  started  up,  and  lost  herself 

In  wonderment,  and  doubt,  and  fear ; 
But  soon  her  gentle,  loving  heart 
Threw  off  suspicion  and  surmise, 

And  slept  again  in  confidence. 

Lull'd  by  the  mendicant’s  disguise. 
‘Hail,  holy  Brahmin  !’  she  exclaimed; 

And,  in  her  guileless  purity, 

She  gave  a welcome  to  her  guest, 

With  courteous  hospitality. 

Water  she  brought  to  wash  his  feet, 

And  food  to  satisfy  his  need, 

Full  little  dreaming  in  her  heart 

What  fearful  guest  she  had  received.” 


98 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


She  even  tells  him  her  own  story,  how  Rama  had  won  her  for 
his  bride  and  taken  her  to  his  father’s  home,  and  how  the  jealous 
Kaikeyi  had  cast  them  forth  to  roam  the  woods  ; and  after  dwell- 
ing fondly  on  her  husband’s  praise,  she  invited  her  guest  to  tell  his 
name  and  lineage,  and  what  had  induced  him  to  leave  his  native 
land  for  the  wilds  of  the  Dandaka  forest,  inviting  him  to  await  her 
husband’s  return,  for  “ to  him  are  holy  wanderers  dear.”  Suddenly 
Ravana  declares  himself  to  be  the  demon  monarch  cf  the  earth, 
“at  whose  name  Heaven’s  armies  flee.”  He  has  come,  he  says, 
to  woo  Seeta  for  his  queen,  and  to  carry  her  to  his  palace  in  the 
island  of  Ceylon!  Astonished  and  indignant  at  his  character  and 
proposal,  the  wrath  of  Rama’s  wife  burst  forth  in  these  words : 


“ Me  wouM’st  thou  woo  to  be  thy  queen, 

Or  dazzle  with  thy  empire’s  shine  ? 

And  didst  thou  dream  that  Rama’s  wife 
Could  stoop  to  such  a prayer  as  thine? 

I,  who  can  look  on  Rama’s  face. 

And  know  that  there  my  husband  stands, — 
My  Rama,  whose  high  chivalry 
Is  blazoned  through  a hundred  lands  1 
What  ! shall  the  jackal  think  to  tempt 
The  lioness  to  mate  with  him  ? 

Or  did  the  King  of  Lanka’s  isle, 

Build  upon  such  an  idle  dream  ? ” 


But  vain  was  poor  Seeta’s  indignant  remonstrance.  Rav-ana’s 
only  answer  was  to  throw  off  his  disguise,  and,  “with  brows  as 
dark  as  the  storm-cloud,”  he  carried  off  the  shrieking  Seeta  as  an 
eagle  bears  its  prey,  mounting  up  aloft  and  flying  with  his  burden 
through  the  sky.  The  unhappy  Seeta  calls  loudly  upon  Rama,  and 
bids  the  flowery  bowers  and  trees  and  rivers  all  tell  her  Rama  that 
Ravana  has  stolen  his  Seeta  from  his  home.  In  Rama’s  time  the 
woods  were  inhabited  by  demons  and  monkeys.  On  returning  and 
ascertaining  his  great  loss,  Rama  did  not  feel  strong  enough  to 
recover  Seeta  single-handed.  He  therefore  entered  into  an  alliance 
with  the  monkeys.  First,  the  monkey-king  Sugriva  dispatched 
emissaries  in  all  directions  to  ascertain  where  Seeta  was  concealed  ; 
and  when  the  monkey-general  Hnnooman  (the  Mars  of  IiTdia)  ascer- 


THE  MA  HA  BA  HA  T A . 


. 99 


tained  that  she  was  in  a palace  in  Ceylon,  Rama  and  all  the  allied 
monkey  forces  marched  down  to  the  Coromandel  coast,  and,  mak- 
ing a bridge  by  casting  rocks  into  the  sea,  passed  quickly  into 
Lanka.  After  fighting  a few  battles  the  Rakshasas  (demons)  were 
defeated,  Ravana  was  put  to  death  by  Rama,  and  Seeta  rescued 
from  her  palace  prison.  Rama  will,  however,  have  nothing  to  say 
to  his  recovered  wife  until  she  has  gone  through  “ the  ordeal  of 
fire;”  but  as  she  passed  through  the  blazing  pile  unhurt,  and 
Brahma  and  other  gods  attested  her  fidelity,  her  husband  once 
more  received  her  with  affection,  and,  the  term  of  exile  over,  th.e 
whole  party  returned  in  happiness  to  Ayodhya.  Such,  in  brief, 
is  the  story  of  the  Ramayana,  which  is  spun  out  into  details  and 
episodes  of  great  length.  It  is  read  very  extensively  to  listening 
crowds  in  India,  who  believe  every  word,  no  matter  how  improba- 
ble, as  we  would  the  most  authentic  records  of  our  own  history  or 
our  Holy  Bible. 

The  Mahabarata  is  the  second  famous  epic  of  India.  We  have 
only  room  to  say  that  it  describes  a contest  between  the  two 
branches  of  the  Chundra,  or  Moon  dynasty,  for  the  sovereignty  of 
the  Ganges  territory.  The  “ Great  War  ” (as  the  word  Mahabarata 
expresses)  is  generally  regarded  as  having  taken  place  about  two 
hundred  years  before  the  siege  of  Troy. 

Princes  are  enumerated  as  taking  part  in  the  struggle  from  the 
Deccan,  and  the  Indus,  and  even  beyond  the  Indus,  especially  the 
Yarases,  thought  to  be  Greeks.  Fifty-six  royal  leaders  were  assem- 
bled on  the  field  of  battle,  which  raged  for  eighteen  days  with  pro- 
digious slaughter  — another  proof  of  the  division  of  India  into 
' many  separate  States,  though  occasionally  combined,  as  in  this 
poem,  under  the  leadership  of  some  great  general  on  either  side. 
The  contest  was  waged  between  the  sons  of  Pandu,  the  deceased 
Rajah,  and  their  cousins  the  Kooroos,  who  denied  their  legitimacy 
— a never-failing  subject  of  dispute  in  Hindoo  successions.  It 
ended  in  the  victory  of  the  Pandus  ; but  what  they  gained  by  arms 
they  lost  through  gaming.  Yudisthira,  the  Agamemnon  of  the 
poem,  departs  with  his  brothers  and  the  beautiful  Draupadi  into 


IOO 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


exile  on  the  Himalayas.  Their  evil  deeds  prevailing,  they  drop 
dead,  one  after  another,  by  the  way-side.  Yudisthira  is  the  last, 
and  when  Indra  comes  to  admit  him  to  Swarga  (Paradise)  he 
demands  to  be  accompanied  by  his  faithful  dog.  The  poem  follows 
the  hero  into  the  other  world.  Arrived  in  Indra’s  paradise,  and 
finding  his  enemies  there  before  him,  with  none  of  his  party,  he 
refuses  to  stay,  and,  descending  to  the  shades  in  quest  of  Draupadi 
and  his  brothers,  succeeds  in  rescuing  them  from  torment.  The 
gods  applaud  his  virtue,  and  he  is  permitted  to  convey  himself 
and  all  his  party  to  Swarga.  The  hero  of  this  poem  is  Krishna, 
the  great  ally  of  the  Pandus,  and  generally  regarded  as  the  eighth 
incarnation  of  Vishnu.  — Trevor's  India,  p.  52. 


ARCHITECTURE  OF  INDIA. 


IOI 


CHAPTER  III. 


ARCHITECTURAL  MAGNIFICENCE  OF  INDIA. 

HE  missionary  authorities  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 


resolved,  in  the  year  1854,  to  found  a mission  in  India,  and 
they  advertised  during  that  year  and  the  next  for  a man  to  go 
forth  and  commence  the  work.  The  writer,  after  waiting  in  the 
hope  that  some  one  else,  better  suited  for  the  duty  and  less  cum- 
bered with  family  cares,  would  answer  to  the  call,  offered  himself 
for  the  service.  This  involved  one  of  the  keenest  trials  through 
which  himself  and  wife  had  ever  passed — no  less  than  a separation 
from  their  two  elder  boys.  The  necessity  for  this,  in  the  case  of 
children  over  the  age  of  seven  years  exposed  to  the  climate  and 
moral  influence  in  India,  as  well  as  the  educational  need,  are  all 
understood. 

Having  no  personal  friends  to  whose  care  they  could  be  in- 
trusted, they  had  to  be  placed  at  a boarding-school  in  the  hands 
of  strangers.  God  only  knows  the  feelings  with  which  we 
resigned  them,  fearing  (what  proved  too  true  in  the  case  of  one 
of  them)  that  we  might  see  them  no  more  on  earth  ; but,  so  far  as 
we  could  understand,  it  was  either  this,  or  for  our  Church  to  fail  of 
her  duty  to  perishing  men  in  India.  We  understood  that  such 
sacrifices  were  contemplated  by  the  Head  of  the  Church  when  he 
instituted  a missionary  ministry  for  the  salvation  of  the  world'. 
He  was  well  aware  what  this  would  involve  to  the  souls  of  many 
parents  in  the  future,  and  therefore,  to  sustain  them  under  the 
peculiar  cross,  he  had  put  on  record  one  of  his  most  glorious 
promises.  There  can  be  no  mistake  as  to  the  circumstances  con- 
templated. “ Peter  said,  Lo,  we  have  left  all  and  followed  thee. 
And  He  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I say  unto  you,  There  is 
no  man  that  hath  left  house,  or  parents,  or  brethren,  or  wife,,  or 


102 


THE  LAND  OF  T1IE  VEDA. 


children , for  the  kingdom  of  God’s  sake,  who  shall  not  receive  mani- 
fold more  in  this  present  time,  and  in  the  world  to  come  life  everlast- 
ing.” With  hearts  bleeding  at  the  sacrifice  which  we  were  called 
to  make,  we  clung  to  the  precious  and  appropriate  promise  of  our 
divine  Master,  committed  our  little  ones  to  his  care,  and  went 
forth  to  fulfill  his.  commission  to  the  best  of  our  ability. 

With  my  wife  and  two  younger  children  I sailed  from  Boston  on 
the  9th  of  April,  1856.  I was  instructed  to  proceed  by  way  of 
England,  and  there  obtain  from  the  secretaries  of  the  different 
missionary  societies  all  the  information  available  in  regard  to  those 
unoccupied  portions  of  India  where  we  might  labor  without  in- 
terference with  existing  missions,  “ to  preach  the  Gospel,  not 
where  Christ  is  named,  lest  we  should  build  upon  another  man’s 
foundation,”  and  there  labor  for  the  enlargement  of  the  kingdom 
of  God. 

Having  attended  to  this  duty,  and  obtained  all  the  light  that  the 
secretaries  and  returned  missionaries  could  impart,  I resolved  to 
proceed  to  Calcutta,  and  from  that  to  move  westward  into  the 
heart  of  the  country  and  examine  the  Valley  of  the  Ganges. 
We  left  Southampton  on  the  20th  of  August  in  the  steamship 
Pera.  Just  as  we  were  departing,  the  consort  ship  of  the  same 
line,  the  Ripon,  came  in  with  the  mails  and  passengers  from  India, 
and  on  board  of  her  was  the  Queen  of  Oude,  coming  to  place 
before-  the  British  Queen  her  protest  against  the  annexation  of 
Oude,  and  to  plead  for  the  restoration  of  the  sovereignty  to  her 
family. 

Apart  from  the  singularity  of  the  fact  that  she  was  probably  the 
first  lady  of  her  race  who  had  ever  come  to  a western  clime,  her 
presence  there  occasioned  me  no  particular  interest ; yet,  as  God 
looked  down  upon  the  objects  of  each,  how  much  she  and  I,  thus 
meeting  casually  for  a moment,  really  depended  upon  each  other’s 
movements!  Had  she  succeeded  in  her  mission,  I must  neces- 
sarily have  failed  in  mine,  so  far  as  our  present  mission  field  is 
concerned,  for  I was  unconsciously  going  to  the  kingdom  which 
the  had  ruled,  and  to  the  very  capital  whose  gates  she  had  left  ajar 


OUR  RECEPTION  IN  INDIA. 


103 


five  weeks  before — gates  that  had  been  closed  by  Mohammedan 
bigotry  against  Christianity  for  ages.  Her  success  on  this  expe- 
dition would  have  closed  them  again  indefinitely,  and  I should  have 
had  to  go  elsewhere  ; but  He  whose  holy  providence  guided  my 
steps  took  care  of  the  issues.  She  failed,  and  I succeeded,  yet 
not  without  “a  great  fight  of  afflictions,”  as  the  sequel  will  show. 

We  landed  at  Calcutta  on  the  23d  of  September,  and  were  most 
cordially  welcomed  by  the  missionary  brethren  there,  and  aided  by 
their  opinions  and  advice  in  regard  to  the  unoccupied  territory  of 
the  country.  We  soon  realized,  in  the  brotherly  kindness  of  their 
intercourse,  and  the  gladness  with  which  they  regarded  the  incom- 
ing of  another  mission,  what  real  evangelical  union,  and  what  free- 
*dom  from  sectarianism,  exist  among  Christians  in  a heathen  land. 
Dr.  Duff  was  especially  kind  to  us.  He  seemed  so  thankful  that 
the  Lord  was  sending  more  help  to  redeem  the  India  he  loved 
so  well,  and  for  which  he  had  labored  so  long  and  so  faithfully. 
As  we  parted  from  the  great  and  good  man,  I little  imagined  that 
within  a year,  counting  us  among  the  slain,  he  would  write  a 
sort  of  biography  of  me,  (in  his  work  “ The  Indian  Rebellion,”)  or 
that  I should  live  to  thank  him,  at  his  own  table,  for  the  peculiar 
privilege  of  knowing  what  my  friends  would  say  of  me  when  I was 
dead.  Yet  so  it  proved. 

Proceeding  at  once  up  the  country,  we  reached  the  city  of  Agra, 
the  seat  of  government  for  the  North-west,  and  soon  realized  that 
we  were  now  amid  the  splendid  evidences  of  the  power  and  glory 
of  the  “ Great  Moguls.”  This  imperial  city,  and  the  adjoining  one 
of  Delhi,  were  full  of  those  reminiscences,  and  the  interest  which 
they  at  once  awakened  was  something  intense  and  peculiar. 

We  were  in  blissful  ignorance  of  any  cause  for  anxiety — knew 
not  what  a volcano  of  wrath  was  quietly  preparing  beneath  our 
feet,  or  how  surely  the  titled  and  decorated  “ Nawabs,”  whose 
courteous  salaams  we  returned,  were  thirsting  for  our  blood,  and 
resolving  to  have  it,  too  ; but  we  will  let  that  subject  rest  here,  until 
we  share  with  the  reader  our  interest  and  delight  as  we  survey  some 
of  those  magnificent,  those  matchless,  monuments  of  Patan  skill 


104 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


and  wealth  with  which  we  now  found  ourselves  surrounded.  This 
will  also  give  him  a better  idea  than  any  thing  else  could  do  as  to 
what  those  imperial  people  risked  in  their  desperate  enterprise, 
when  pensions,  palaces,  titles,  ancestral  monuments,  and  mauso- 
leums, with  all  their  gorgeous  traditions,  were  the  mighty  stakes 
ventured  in  the  frantic  and  final  struggle  of  their  dynasty  with  a 
superior  civilization  and  the  strength  which  accompanies  it.  We 
were,  though  we  knew  it  not,  contemplating  many  of  these  glories 
for  the  last  time  in  which  men  could  gaze  in  admiration  upon 
them,  for  most  of  them,  save  the  Taj  and  the  Kootub,  were  des- 
tined to  destruction  by  the  ruin  which  war  was  so  soon  to  bring. 
When  we  saw  them  again,  one  year  afterward,  “ the  glory  had 
departed,”  save  in  the  cases  given.  The  Taj,  especially,  seemed  as, 
though  self-protected  by  its  own  purity  and  loveliness  ; even  ravag- 
ing war  respected  it,  friend  and  foe  alike  agreeing  that  its  beauty 
should  remain  unsullied  forever. 

The  first  permanent  conquest  by  a Mohammedan  sovereign  in 
India  was  that  made  by  Mahmoud  of  Ghuznee  in  the  year  1001. 
Sixty-five  rulers  of  that  faith,  during  the  following  eight  centuries, 
tried  to  maintain  their  authority  over  the  great  Hindoo  nations.  It 
may  be  doubted  whether  any  part  of  the  world  was  ever  so  cursed 
by  a line  of  bigoted,  ferocious  wretches  as,  with  two  or  three  excep- 
tions, were  these  Mohammedan  despots  of  India  during  that  time. 
To  many  of  them  may  be  truly  applied  the  terrible  lines  of  Moore  : 

“ One  of  that  saintly,  murderous  brood. 

To  carnage  and  the  Koran  given, 

Who  think  through  unbelievers’  blood 
Lies  their  directest  path  to  heaven ; 

One  who  will  pause  and  kneel  unshod 
In  the  warm  blood  his  hand  hath  poured, 

To  mutter  o’er  some  text  of  God 
Engraven  on  his  reeking  sword  ; 

Nay,  who  can  coolly  note  the  line, 

The  letters  of  those  words  divine, 

To  which  his  blade,  with  searching  art, 

Had  sunk  into  its  victim’s  heart  ! ” 

And  all  this  transacted  by  these  “ bloody  men  ” under  the  pro- 
fessed sanction  and  authority  of  a holy  and  merciful  God,  whose 


Mohammed  Suraj-oo  deen  Shah  Gezee,  Emperor  of  Delhi,  the  Last  of  the  Moguls 


CHARACTER  OF  MOSLEM  RULE. 


107 


special  favor  and  reward  they  asserted  awaited  them  in  Paradise  for 
blasphemous  cruelties  like  these  ! The  reference  in  the  lines  is  to 
their  habit  of  engraving  texts  from  the  Koran  upon  their  swords. 
What  millions,  during  the  past  eight  centuries,  have  been  destroyed 
by  Mohammedanism  and  Romanism  in  the  name  of  religion,  till 
humanity  sighs  to  be  relieved  of  their  baneful  presence,  and  the 
true  Christian  looks  forward  solemnly  to  the  awful  hour  when  He 
“ to  whom  vengeance  belongeth  ” will  call  “ the  beast  and  the  false 
prophet  ” to  their  dread  account — partners  in  punishment  as  they 
have  been  in  guilt ! 

The  character  and  cruelties  of  Popery  recorded  in  Motley’s  recent 
histories  are  equaled  in  India’s  records  by  those  Moslem  scourges, 
Hyder  Ali,  Tippoo,  Tamerlane,  Nadir  Shah,  and  Aurungzebe. 
The  creed  of  the  Koran  is  utterly  unfit  for  civil  government.  It  is 
a system  of  moral  and  political  bondage,  sustained  only  by  military 
power  and  despotic  rule,  naturally  corrupting  those  who  adminis- 
ter it,  while  it  has  ever  pauperized  and  demoralized  the  people  who 
have  been  subjected  to  its  sway.  The  Moguls  have  done  in  India 
what  the  Turks  have  accomplished  in  Asia  Minor  ; and  yet,  while 
destroying  and  impoverishing,  neither  race  have  taken  root  in  either 
land.  In  the  former  the  power  of  the  Moguls  crumbled  to  pieces, 
and  in  the  latter  that  of  the  Turks  is  now  “ready  to  vanish  away.” 

The  last  century  closed  upon  Shah  Alum — the  grandfather  of  the 
monarch  whose  portrait  we  here  present — engaged  in  a terrible 
struggle  with  the  Rohillas  of  the  North  and  the  Mahrattas  of  the 
South.  The  long  examples  of  perfidy  and  blood  were  then  bearing 
their  fruit,  and  had  made  these  once  subject-races  the  remorseless 
and  inveterate  enemies  of  the  Mogul  rule.  Their  power  had  been 
rising  as  that  of  the  Emperor  was  in  its  decadence.  Destitute  of 
the  means,  which  were  once  so  abundant,  to  repress  these  conflicts, 
the  aged  Emperor  had  to  witness  these  fierce  and  powerful  parties 
contending  with  each  other  for  the  possession  of  his  person  and  his 
capital,  and  the  power  to  rule  in  his  name. 

In  1785,  Sindia,  the  Mahratta,  became  paramount;  but  a few 
years  after,  while  engaged  in  a war  with  Pertalo  Sing,  of  Jeypoor, 


io8 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


advantage  was  taken  of  his  absence  by  Gholan  Kadir  Kahn,  the 
Rohilla,  to  obtain  possession  of  Delhi  and  the  Emperor.  This  he 
accomplished  by  the  treachery  of  the  Nazir,  or  chief  eunuch,  to 
whom  the  management  of  the  imperial  establishment  was  intrusted. 
The  inmates  of  the  palace  were  treated  by  the  usurper  with  a 
degree  of  malicious  barbarity  which  it  is  hardly  possible  to  con- 
ceive any  human  being  could  evince  toward  his  fellow-creatures, 
unless  actually  possessed  by  Satan, 

After  cruelties  of  almost  every  description  had  been  practiced,  to 
extort  from  the  members  and  retainers  of  the  imperial  family  every 
article  of  value  that  still  remained  in  their  possession,  Gholan 
Kadir  continued  to  withhold  from  them  even  the  necessaries  of 
life,  so  that  several  ladies  perished  of  hunger,  and  others,  mad- 
dened by  suffering,  committed  suicide.  The  royal  children  were 
compelled  to  perform  the  most  humiliating  offices ; and  when  at  last 
the  wretched  Emperor  ventured  to  remonstrate  indignantly  against 
the  atrocities  he  was  thus  compelled  to  witness,  the  fierce  Rohilla 
sprang  at  him  with  the  fury  of  a wild  beast,  flung  the  venerable 
monarch  to  the  ground,  knelt  on  his  breast,  and,  with  his  dagger, 
pierced  his  eye-balls  through  and  through  ! 

The  return  of  Sindia  terminated  these  terrible  scenes.  Gholan 
Kadir  fled,  but  was  followed  and  captured  by  the  Mahratta  chief, 
who  cut  off  his  nose,  ears,  hands,  and  feet,  and  sent  him  in  an  iron 
cage  to  the  Emperor — a fearful,  though  not  uncommon,  example  of 
Asiatic  retributive  barbarity.  He  perished  on  the  road,  and  his 
accomplice,  the  treacherous  Nazir,  was  condemned,  and  trodden  to 
death  by  an  elephant — a mode  of  execution  long  practiced  at  Delhi. 

The  condition  of  the  imperial  family,  though  ameliorated, 
remained  barely  tolerable  during  the  supremacy  of  Sindia  ; for 
the  stated  allowance  for  the  support  of  the  Emperor  and  his  thirty 
children,  though  liberal  in  its  nominal  amount,  was  so  irregularly 
paid  that  the  imperial  household  often  wanted  the  necessaries  of 
life. 

The  real  authority  of  the  Moguls  had  passed  away,  and  it  now 
became  a question,  Who  shall  seize  the  fallen  scepter — some  one 


THE  FALLING  DYNASTY. 


109 


of  these  contending  chiefs,  or  the  English  power,  which  had  already 
established  itself  in  the  South  and  East  of  the  country  ? The  lat- 
ter alone  had  the  ability  to  give  peace  to  the  distracted  land,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  might  be  relied  upon  to  grant  the  most  generous 
terms  to  the  falling  dynasty.  Accordingly,  on  the  10th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1803,  Shah  Alum,  the  last  actual  possessor  of  the  once  mighty 
throne  of  the  Moguls,  thankfully  placed  himself  and  his  empire 
under  the  protection  of  the  British  commander,  Lord  Lake,  and 
thus  delivered  himself  from  the  cruelty  and  tyranny  of  his  enemies. 

The  General,  on  his  entrance  to  the  palace,  found  the  Emperor 
“ seated  under  a small  tattered  canopy,  his  person  emaciated  by 
indigence  and  infirmity,  his  countenance  disfigured  by  the  loss  of 
his  eyes,  and  bearing  marks  of  extreme  old  age  and  settled  melan- 
choly.” The  arrangements  made  with  him,  under  the  directions 
of  the  Marquis  Wellesley,  then  English  Governor-General,  were, 
no  doubt,  far  beyond  in  liberality  what  the  poor  old  man  could  have 
expected.  Of  this  more  hereafter,  in  its  place. 

The  gigantic  genius  of  Tamerlane,  and  the  distinguished  talents 
of  the  great  Akbar,  with  the  magnificent  taste  of  Jehan,  have 
thrown  a sort  of  splendor  over  the  crimes  and  follies  of  their 
descendants  ; and  men  kept  reverence  for  the  ruins  of  such  great- 
ness, and  for  the  ideas  which  we  have  all  associated  in  our  child- 
hood with  the  boundless  wealth  and  glory  suggested  by  the  title  of 
“ The  Great  Moguls.” 

Under  the  new  rule  India  began  to  return  to  peace,  and  such 
prosperity  as  was  possible,  with  a still  brighter  day  dawning  upon 
her.  Shah  Alum  enjoyed  his  honors  and  emoluments  till  1806, 
when  he  was  succeeded  on  his  titular  throne  by  his  son,  Shah 
Akbar,  who  held  it  until  1836,  when  its  last  possessor — the  man 
whose  portrait  is  here  given — commenced  his  occupancy,  and 
retained  it  till  1857,  when  a mad  and  hopeless  infatuation  led  him 
to  violate  his  treaty,  and  defy  the  power  of  the  actual  rulers  of  his 
empire,  and  precipitated  him  from  the  height  to  which  his  ambition 
had  for  a few  weeks  soared,  into  the  depths  of  ignominious  and 
unpitied  exile. 


I IO 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


A few  facts  in  explanation  are  necessary  here.  This  monarch, 
Mohammed  Suraj-oo-deen,  succeeded  his  father  in  1836.  The 
father,  at  the  instigation  of  one  of  his  wives,  the  favorite  Begum, 
had  done  his  best  to  deprive  his  son  of  his  inheritance,  and  to  have 
her  own  son,  Mirza  Saleem,  acknowledged  as  his  successor  by  the 
British  Government.  To  this  injustice  that  Government  would 
not  consent ; so  his  rights  were  protected,  and  he  mounted  the 
throne  of  his  ancestors. 

The  beautiful  steel  engraving  on  the  opposite  page  gives  a faith- 
ful picture  of  the  wife,  or,  rather,  one  of  the  wives,  of  this  old 
gentleman — the  last  of  “The  Great  Moguls.”  Her  name  is  Zeenat 
Mahal — the  Ornament  of  the  Palace — which  was  conferred  on  her 
when  she  was  married  to  the  Emperor  in  1833.  She  was  then  six- 
teen years  of  age,  and  he  was  sixty — a disparity  by  no  means 
uncommon  in  a land  where  polygamy  prevails,  and  where  such 
prejudice  exists  against  marrying  a widow,  no  matter  how  young 
or  fair  she  may  be.  Her  sexagenarian  husband  had  other  wives 
than  Zeenat  Mahal,  but  the  beautiful  and.  ambitious  girl  soon 
gained  a complete  control  over  the  mind  and  heart  of  her  aged 
lord,  and  this  was  made  all  the  more  influential  when  she  had 
added  the  claims  of  a mother  to  the  attractions  of  a wife. 

Then  commenced  those  intrigues,  which  she  carried  on  up  to  the 
year  1856,  to  secure  the  succession  to  the  throne  for  her  child, 
Mirza  Jumma  Bukht,  to  the  exclusion  of  Mirza  Furruk-oo-deen, 
the  elder  son,  whose  prior  claims  the  English  Government  recog- 
nized and  sustained,  as  in  duty  bound.  Her  hostility  to  British 
influence,  therefore,  became  intense  ; and  her  hopes  of  gaining  her 
object  were  identified  with  the  efforts  of  the  Sepoy  conspiracy  to 
overthrow  the  English  power  in  India.  Poor  lady!  she  utterly 
failed  ; and  she  and  the  son  for  whom  every  thing  was  risked  arc 
to-day  wanderers  in  a foreign  land,  with  the  bitter  reflection  of  the 
utter  desolation  which  has  overwhelmed  the  dynasty  of  which  she 
thus  became  the  last  empress.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  Rajah 
of  Bhatneer,  a territory  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  north- 
west of  Delhi. 


ZEN  AT  MAHAL.  EMPRESS  OF'  DELHi 


THE  KllASS  AND  THE  MOGUL  SINK  TOGETHER  1 1 3 

The  pictures  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  here  presented  were 
painted  on  ivory  by  the  Court  portrait-painter  twenty  years  ago, 
and  are  beautiful  specimens  of  native  art,  and  very  correct  like- 
nesses of  them  both. 

We  will  now  turn  from  these  royal  persons  to  their  home,  and 
some  of  their  splendid  surroundings  ; and,  first  of  all,  let  us  look  at 
their  historical  and  beautiful  Dewan  K/tass.  There  was  something 
remarkably  significant  in  the  fact  that  the  magnificent  and  famous 
Audience  Hall  of  the  Moguls  should  sink  to  ruin  with  the  dynasty 
which  had  so  long  adorned  it.  For  two  hundred  and  fifty  years 
they  had  shed  luster  upon  each  other ; but,  when  we  remember 
the  crimes  which  had  so  long  cried  to  Heaven  for  vengeance  from 
the  polished  floor  of  this  marble  hall,  it  did  seem  fitting  that  the 
Most  High,  who  ruleth  in  the  kingdoms  of  men,  in  the  hour  when 
their  judgment  came  should,  with  the  same  blow,  strike  down  both 
the  Mogul  line  and  their  magnificent  memorial.  When  their  cup 
of  iniquity  was  full,  and  their  hands  were  red  with  Christian  blood, 
then  came  the  day  of  vengeance. 

It  was  my  lot  to  be  a witness  of  the  wondrous  ruin — to  behold 
this  imperial  head  of  Oriental  Mohammedanism,  this  “ Light  of  the 
Faith,”  as  he  was  designated,  sinking  into  utter  ruin  and  darkness; 

“Falling,  like  Lucifer, 

. Never  to  hope  again.” 

When  I reached  the  Mogul  capital  of  Hindustan,  in  the  autumn 
of  1856,  the  Dewan  Khass  was  still  the  center  of  state  and  pagean- 
try, and  its  imperial  master  living  in  Oriental  style  on  his  salary  of 
eighteen  lakhs  of  rupees — $900,000  gold — per  annum.  Within  one 
year  from  that  day  I was  again  in  the  Dewan  Khass,  where  he 
used  to  sit  in  his  gorgeous  array,  to  witness  his  trial,  and  that  of 
his  princes  and  nobles,  before  a military  commission  of  British 
officers,  by  whom  he  was  condemned  to  be  banished  as  a felon  to 
a foreign  shore  for  the  remnant  of  his  miserable  life,  there  to  sub- 
sist on  a convict’s  allowance  ; and  within  a few  weeks  after,  when 
I again  visited  the  once  magnificent  Dewan  Khass,  I found  it 
despoiled  of  its  glory,  its  marble  halls  and  columns  whitewashed, 


U4 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


and  the  whole  turned  into  a hospital  for  sick  soldiers ! Has  the 
world  ever  witnessed  a ruin  more  prompt,  more  complete,  more 
amazing  than  this  ? 

For  seven  hundred  years  the  Mohammedan  dynasties — of  whom 
this  wretched  old  man  was  the  last  representative — had  tried  to 
hold  the.  reins  of  power  over  India,  alien  alike  in  race,  language, 
and  religion  from  the  people  whom  they  ruled.  Mahmoud  of 
Ghuznee — a contemporary  for  five  years  of  William  the  Con- 
queror— was  the  founder  of  this  line  of  monarchs  ; and  yet  such 
was  their  character,  that  when  these  long  centuries  of  selfish  and 
bigoted  misrule  were  ending,  and  this  old  man  was  in  circumstances 
that  might  well  have  evoked  compassion  and  sympathy  from  those 
around  him,  he  was  allowed  to  sink  out  of  sight,  not  only  without 
regret  or  condolence,  but  amid  the  expressed  sense  of  relief  of  the 
race  over  whom  he  and  his  ancestors  had  dominated — a people 
with  whom  they  had  ever  refused  to  amalgamate,  whom  they  had 
never  tried  to  conciliate,  and  from  whom  his  race  never  realized 
either  loyalty  or  affection. 

It  may  be  doubted  if  any  royal  line  on  earth  has  had  such  a sad 
record  to  present  to  the  historian.  Of  the  sixty-five  monarchs  who 
thus  conquered  and  ruled  India,  only  twenty-seven  of  the  number 
died  a natural  death  ; all  the  rest  were  either  exiled,  killed  in  battle, 
or  assassinated,  while  the  average  length  of  each  reign  was  only 
eleven  years.  Truly  has  it  been  said,  “Delhi  has  been  the  stage 
of  greatness — men  the  actors,  ambition  the  prompter,  and  centuries 
the  audience.”  It  was  my  opportunity  to  come  in  at  the  close,  and 
behold  destruction  drawing  the  curtain  over  the  scene,  and  writing 
upon  it  the  realized  sentence,  and  the  warning  to  the  nations : 
“Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a rod  of  iron  ; thou  shalt  dash  them 
in  pieces  like  a potter’s  vessel.  Be  wise  now  therefore,  O ye  kings : 
be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth.  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear, 
afid  rejoice  with  trembling.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry,  and 
ye  perish  from  the  way,  when  his  wrath  is  kindled  but  a little.” 

This  was  all  the  more  significant,  because  the  men  by  whose 
instrumentality  God  wrought  out  his  purposes  were  the  very  race 


ARCHITECTURAL  TASTE  OF  THE  EMPERORS. 


"5 

whose  new  monarchy  opened  with  their  own  in  the  tenth  century  ; 
but  a race  who  received  the  faith  which  those  Mohammedans 
repelled  and  persecuted,  and  who  have  consequently  risen  to 
supremacy  among  the  nations  ; so  that,  while  one  portion  of  them 
rules  the  New  World,  the  other  inherits  the  empire  of  the  fallen 
Moguls,  and  are  there  with  confidence  expecting  that  the  promise 
of  the  Almighty  shall  ere  long  be  made  as  true  as  his  threatenings 
now  consummated : “ Ask  of  me,  and  I shall  give  thee  the  heathen 
for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession.”  How  expressively  does  the  history  of  these  eight  hun- 
dred years  declare,  “ Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in 
Him!” 

True  religion  was  the  only  thing  this  guilty  but  magnificent  race 
•needed  for  perpetuity.  No  dynasty  ever  had  a grander  oppor- 
tunity than  they — a rich  land,  the  sixth  of  the  world’s  population, 
boundless  wealth,  almost  a millennium  of  time  for  the  trial,  with  a 
civilization  all  their  own,  and  a splendid  cultivated  taste,  which  they 
had  the  will  and  the  ability  to  gratify  to  the  utmost,  as  its  memori- 
als in  Agra,  and  Delhi,  and  elsewhere,  attest,  to  the  surprise  and 
delight  of  the  traveler  and  tourist  from  many  lands. 

The  Emperor  Shah  Jehan — A.  D.  1627 — alone,  for  his  portion, 
laid  out  in  Alipoor  the  celebrated  Gardens  of  Shalimar,  at  a cost 
of  $5,000,000.  They  were  about  two  miles  and  a half  in  cir- 
cumference, and  were  almost  like  Paradise  in  beauty.  He  then 
built  the  world-renowned  Taj  Mahal,  expending  upon  it  nearly 
$60,000,000,  the  present  value  of  money.  He  also  erected  the 
Dewan  Khass,  the  most  gorgeous  audience  hall  in  the  East.  This 
latter  we  here  illustrate. 

This  imperial  hall  was  a gorgeous  accessory  of  the  Palace  of 
Delhi.  The  front  opened  on  a large  quadrangle,  and  the  whole 
stood  in  what  was  once  a garden,  extremely  rich  and  beautiful. 
This  unique  pavilion  rested  on  an  elevated  terrace,  and  was  formed 
entirely  of  white  marble.  It  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long, 
and  forty  in  breadth,  having  a graceful  cupola  at  each  angle.  The 
roof  was  supported  on  colonnades  of  marble  pillars.  The  solid  and 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


1 1 6 

polished  marble  has  been  worked  into  its  forms  with  as  much  deli- 
cacy as  though  it  had  been  wax,  and  its  whole  surface,  pillars, 
walls,  arches,  and  roof,  and  even  the  pavement,  was  inlaid  with  the 
richest,  most  profuse,  and  exquisite  designs  in  foliage  and  ara- 
besque ; the  fruits  and  flowers  being  represented  in  sections  of 
gems,  such  as  amethysts,  carnelian,  blood-stone,  garnet,  topaz, 
lapis  lazuli,  green  serpentine,  and  various  colored  crystals.  A bor- 
dering ran  around  the  walls  and  columns  similarly  decorated,  inlaid 
with  inscriptions  in  Arabic  from  the  Koran.  The  whole  had  the 
appearance  of  some  rich  work  from  the  loom,  in  which  a brilliant 
pattern  is  woven  on  a pure  white  ground,  the  tracery  of  rare  and 
cunning  artists.  Purdahs  (curtains)  of  all  colors  and  designs  hung 
from  the  crenated  arches  on  the  outside  to  exclude  the  glare  and 
heat.  (These  purdahs  are  omitted  in  the  engraving  for  the  sake 
of  the  interior  view.) 

In  the  center  of  the  hall  stood  the  Takt  Taous,  or  Peacock 
Throne,  of  Shah  Jehan,  on  the  erection  of  which  Price’s  History 
tells  us  he  expended  thirty  millions  sterling,  ($150,000,000.)  This 
wondrous  work  of  art  was  ascended  by  steps  of  silver,  at  the  sum- 
mit of  which  rose  a massive  seat  of  pure  gold,  with  a canopy  of  the 
same  metal  inlaid  with  jewels.  The  chief  feature  of  the  design 
was  a peacock  with  his  tail  spread,  the  natural  colors  being  repre- 
sented by  pure  gems.  A vine  also  was  introduced  into  the  design, 
the  leaves  and  fruit  of  which  was  of  precious  stones,  whose  rays 
were  reflected  from  mirrors  set  in  large  pearls.  Beneath  all  this 
“glory”  sat  the  Great  Mogul. 

No  wonder  that  the  fame  of  this  wealth  and  extravagance  should 
attract  the  notice  and  cupidity  of  a man  like  Nadir  Shah,  the  Per- 
sian, who,  in  1739,  invaded  Hindustan,  and  carried  off  this  Pea- 
cock Throne  among  his  trophies.  His  estimate  of  it  may  be 
understood  from  the  fact  that  he  had  a tent  constructed  to  contain 
it,  the  outside  of  which  was  covered  with  scarlet  broadcloth  and 
the  inside  of  violet-colored  satin,  on  which  birds  and  beasts,  trees 
and  flowers,  were  depicted  in  precious  stones.  On  either  side  of 
the  Peacock  Throne  a screen  was  extended,  adorned  with  the  fig- 


The  Dewan  Khass;  or,  Hall  of  Audience,  Palace  of  Delhi. 


TIIE  BLUNDER  IN  LALLA  ROOKU. 


"9 

ures  of  two  angels,  also  represented  in  various  colored  gems. 
Even  the  tent-poles  were  adorned  with  jewels,  and  the  pins  were 
of  massive  gold.  The  whole  formed  a load,  for  several  elephants. 
The  gorgeous  trophy  was  afterward  broken  up  by  Adil  Shah,  the 
nephew  and  successor  of  the  captor.  Its  place  in  the  Dewan 
Khass  was  afterward  supplied  by  another  of  inferior  value,  and  by 
the  Crystal  Throne,  which  the  writer  saw  in  1857. 

Inside  of  the  entrance  of  the  Khass,  inscribed  in  black  letters 
upon  a slab  of  alabaster,  is  the  Persian  couplet,  in  the  hyperbol- 
ical language  of  the  East,  quoted  by  Moore  in  his  Lalla  Rookh, 

“ If  there  be  an  elysium  on  earth, 

It  is  this,  it  is  this.” 

Moore  introduces  it  in  “ The  Light  of  the  Harem,”  where  the 
Emperor  Jehangeer  and  his  beloved  and  beautiful  Nourmahal,  in 
their  visit  to  the  Valley  of  Cashmere,  happen  to  fall  into  a sort  of 
lovers’  quarrel,  and  in  the  evening  she  vails  herself,  and  takes  her 
place  among  the  beautiful  female  singers  who  have  come  to  enter- 
tain the  reclining  Emperor — one  of  whom  seems  disposed  to  avail 
herself  of  the  opportunity  to  attract  the  wounded  and  wandering 
love  of  Jehangeer  in  a wrong  direction,  when  the  vailed  Nourma- 
hal, at  the  pause,  strikes  her  lute  and  sings  sweetly  : 

“ There’s  a bliss  beyond  all  that  the  minstrel  has  told, 

When  two  that  are  linked  in  one  heavenly  tie, 

With  heart  never  changing,  and  brow  never  cold, 

. Love  on  through  all  ills,  and  love  on  till  they  die  ! 

One  hour  of  a passion  so  sacred  is  worth 

Whole  ages  of  heartless  and  wandering  bliss ; 

And  O,  if  there  be  an  elysium  on  earth, 

It  is  this,  it  is  this  ! ” 

Jehangeer’s  heart  is  touched,  and  there  ensues  a happy  recon- 
ciliation. Unfortunately,  however,  for  the  poet,  there  is  an  anach- 
ronism here,  and  a violation  of  historic  truth,  as  well  as  an  inade- 
quate translation,  for  Shah  Jehan,  who  built  the  Dewan  Khass,  and 
inscribed  the  words  on  the  slab  of  alabaster  over  the  entrance,  was 
the  son  of  Jehangeer,  and  it  is  not  likely  that  his  father’s  wife 
could  quote  the  words  before  they  were  composed.  Moore’s 


120 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


picture  of  Jehangeer  and  Nourmahal  is  the  very  reverse  of  what 
truthful  history,  corroborated  by  the  personal  observation  of  Sir 
Thomas  Roe,  tells  us  of  that  cruel  sot  and  his  talented  but  unprin- 
cipled Empress.  And  she  could  cherish  but  little  true  love  for 
the  man  that  had  her  noble  husband,  Sheer  Afghan,  so  basely 
assassinated  in  order  to  gain  possession  of  her  person. 

It  is  a pity  that  poetry  should  be  so  often  perverted  and  its  ele- 
gancies made  to  adorn  the  unworthy  and  the  vile.  Nevertheless, 
we  know  that  “the  judgments  of  God  are  according  to  truth,”  and 
we  see  here  that  no  wealth,  or  power,  or  magnificence,  or  human 
adulation,  can  shield  the  guilty  when  the  inevitable  hand  of  the 
Divine  verdict  has  come. 

“Elysium”  is  too  European,  too  Northern,  a term  to  express 
Shah  Jehan’s  word.  But  Moore,  for  a good  part  of  his  life  a 
Romanist,  may  have  thought  the  term  over-biblical  for  his  use,  and 
chose  the  heathen  phrase  “ elysium  ” in  preference  to  the  plain 
rendering  of  the  word.  The  inscription  runs  exactly  as  follows, 
expressed  in  English  letters  : 

“ Ugur  Firdousi  ba-roo-i-zameen  ust, 

Ameen  ust,  ameen  ust,  ameen  ust.” 

And  the  rendering  is  : * 

“ If  there  be  a paradise  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

This  is  it,  this  is  it,  this  is  it  ! ” 

(The  original  Persian  may  be  found  quoted  by  Dr.  Clarke  in  his 
Commentary  on  Nehemiah  i,  verse  8.) 

In  or  near  Persia  was  the  region  of  Paradise,  and  the  fame  of 
the  first  garden,  planted  by  God,  near  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates, 
lingered  as  a tradition  in  its  own  vicinity  for  four  thousand  years, 
and  led  to  those  imitations  of  it  in  the  “ paradises  of  Oriental  des- 
pots.” Most  of  the  invasions  of  India  were  from  the  regions  of 
the  ancient  Eden,  and  the  invaders  carried  with  them  their  ideas 
of  paradise  to  the  land  of  the  Ganges,  and  tried  to  reproduce  them 
there.  This  Dewan  Khass  was  the  central  object  of  the  most 
costly  one  ever  planted  in  India,  or  perhaps  anywhere  else. 


PARADISE  AND  ITS  PRIVILEGES. 


121 


Standing  in  the  midst  of  it,  how*  easy  it  seemed  to  transport 
one’s  self  in  thought  to  that  similar  scene  mentioned  in  the  book  of 
Esther  i,  4,  7,  where,  nearly  five  hundred  years  before  Christ, 
Ahasuerus,  the  Persian,  “ who  reigned  from  India  even  unto  Ethi- 
opia,” displayed  his  magnificence  during  the  seven  days’  feast  “ in 
the  court  of  the  garden  of  the  king’s  palace,  where  were  white, 
green,  and  blue  hangings  fastened  with  cords  of  fine  linen  and 
purple  to  silver  rings  and  pillars  of  marble ; the  beds  [or  seats] 
were  of  gold  and  silver,  upon  a pavement  of  red,  and  blue,  and 
white,  and  black  marble.”  Verses  5 and  6. 

As  Dr.  Clarke  has  remarked,  the  term  paradise  “ is  applied  to 
denote  splendid  apartments , as  well  as  fine  gardens  ; in  a word,  any 
place  of  pleasure  and  delight.”  And  is  not  this  exactly  the  idea 
of  the  paradise  described  in  the  twenty-first  and  twenty-second 
chapters  of  Revelation  — the  golden  city,  with  its  jasper  walls 
and  gates  of  pearl,  in  the  midst  of  the  garden  of  God,  with  the 
river  of  the  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal,  and  the  tree  of  life  yield- 
ing its  fruit  every  month  ? 

In  speaking  of  it  Jesus  says,  “ In  my  Father’s  house  are  many 
mansions.”  “ I go  to  prepare  a place  for  you.”  “ They  shall  walk 
with  me  in  white.”  “To  him  that  overcometh  will  I give  to  eat  of 
the  tree  of  life  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God.” 
How  Oriental  are  all  these  thoughts ! I have  seen  the  princely 
Asiatic  host,  with  his  guests  around  him  in  their  white  flowing 
robes,  moving  through  his  beautiful  garden,  as  he  entertained  them 
with  his  fellowship,  with  music,  and  the  freest  use  of  the  bounties 
around  them  ; and  the  earthly  scene  has  been  a vivid  image  of 
what  the  heavenly  paradise  will  be  to  the  redeemed,  when  they 
shall  find  themselves  at  last  in  the  garden  of -God,  with  Jesus  as 
their  host,  having  the  right  of  entrance  to  his  glorious  audience 
hall,  and  the  amazing  honor  of  sitting  down  with  him  upon  his 
sapphire  throne,  in  the  presence  of  the  host  of  heaven ! See 
Exod.  xxiv,  10;  Ezek.  i,  26;  Rev.  iii,  21. 

The  crown  worn  on  the  head  of  the  Great  Mogul  was  worthy  of 
the  Khass  and  the  throne  on  which  he  sat.  It  was  made  by  the 


122 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


great  Akbar,  in  the  fashion  of  that  worn  by  the  Persian  kings,  and 
was  of  extraordinary  beauty  and  magnificence.  It  had  twelve 
points,  each  surmounted  by  a diamond  of  the  purest  water,  while 
the  central  point  terminated  in  a single  pearl  of  extraordinary  size, 
the  whole,  including  many  valuable  rubies,  being  estimated  at  a 
cost  equivalent  to  £> 2,070,000  sterling,  or  $10,350,000.  Add  one 
thing  more,  the  Koh-i-noor  diamond,  on  his  brow,  and  you  have 
the  Mogul  “ in  all  his  glory,”  as  he  sat  on  the  Peacock  Throne  in 
his  Dewan  Khass,  surrounded  by  Mohammedan  princes,  by  tur- 
baned  and  jeweled  rajahs,  amid  splendor  which  only  “ the  gorgeous 
East  ” could  furnish,  and  the  fame  of  which  seemed  to  the  poor 
courts  of  Europe  of  that  day  like  a tale  of  the  Arabian  Nights. 

Soon  the  Portuguese  were  found  making  their  way  around  “the 
Cape  of  Storms”  into  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  thence  to  the  capital 
of  the  Moguls.  James  I.  of  England,  in  1615,  sent  as  his  embas- 
sador Sir  Thomas  Roe,  whose  chaplain  has  left  us  a record  of  the 
embassy  in  A Voyage  to  the  East  Indies.  Sir  Thomas  felt  keenly 
the  contrast  afforded  by  the  unpretending  character  of  the  presents 
and  retinue  with  which  his  royal  master  had  provided  him,  to  the 
magnificent  ceremonial  which  he  daily  witnessed,  and  in  which  he 
was  permitted  to  take  part.  He  remained  two  years  at  Jehan- 
geer’s  Court.  One  of  the  greatest  displays  occurred  on  the  Em- 
peror’s birthday,  when,  amid  the  ceremonies,  the  royal  person  was 
weighed  in  golden  scales  twelve  times  against  gold,  silver,  per- 
fumes, and  other  valuables,  the  whole  of  which  were  then  divided 
among  the  spectators.  His  description  of  the  splendors  of  the 
scene  sounds  like  the  veriest  romance. 

On  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Audience  Hall  is  shown  the  mark  of 
the  dagger  of  the  Hindoo  Prince  of  Chittore,  who,  in  the  very  pres- 
ence of  the  Emperor,  stabbed  to  the  heart  one  of  the  Mohammedan 
ministers,  who  made  use  of  some  disrespectful  language  toward  him. 
On  being  asked  how  he  presumed  to  do  this  in  the  presence  of  his 
sovereign,  he  answered  in  almost  the  very  words  of  Roderic  Dhu, 

“ I right  my  wrongs  where  they  are  given, 

Though  it  were  in  the  court  of  Heaven.” 


ghing  of  the  Emperor  in  the  Dewan  Khass. 


INQUISITION  FOR  BLOOD. 


125 


Alas!  what  scenes  of  perfidy  and  blood  have  been  witnessed 
within  the  walls  of  this  Dewan  Khass  ! Sleeman  and  others  have 
narrated  some  of  them,  but  the  half  has  not  been  told,  and  all  are 
only  known  to  Heaven.  The  last  of  them,  in  1857,  exhausted  the 
patience  of  the  Almighty,  and  the  dynasty  and  their  Khass  were 
destroyed  by  that  “stone”  which  then  fell  upon  them,  and  ground 
them  to  powder. 

Here  in  this  hall,  which  he  himself  had  built,  sat  the  great  Shah 
Jehan,  obliged  to  receive  the  insolent  commands  of  his  own  grand- 
son, Mohammed,  when  flushed  with  victory,  and  to  offer  him  the 
throne,  merely  to  disappoint  the  expectations  of  the  youth’s  rebel 
father.  Here  sat  Aurungzebe — Shah  Jehan’ s fourth  son — when 
he  ordered  the  assassination  of  his  own  brothers,  Dara  and  Morad, 
and  the  imprisonment  and  destruction  by  slow  poison  of  his  own 
son  Mohammed,  who  had  so  often  fought  bravely  by  his  side  in 
battle.  Here,  too,  stood  in  chains  the  graceful  Sooleeman,  to 
receive  his  sentence  of  death,  with  his  poor  young  brother,  Sipeher 
Shekoh,  who  had  shared  all  his  father’s  toils  and  dangers,  and  wit- 
nessed his  brutal  murder.  And  here  sat  the  handsome,  but  effem- 
inate, Mohammed  Shah,  in  March,  1739,  bandying  compliments 
with  his  ferocious  conqueror,  Nadir  Shah,  the  Persian  King,  who 
had  destroyed  his  armies,  plundered  his  treasury,  appropriated  his 
throne,  and  ordered  the  murder  of  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  of 
the  helpless  inhabitants  of  his  capital,  men,  women,  and  children, 
in  a general  massacre.  The  bodies  of  these  people  lay  unburied 
in  the  streets,  tainting  the  air,  while  the  two  sovereigns  sat  here 
sipping  their  coffee  in  the  presence  of  their  courtiers,  and  swearing 
to  the  most  deliberate  lies  in  the  name  of  their  God,  prophet,  and 
Koran ! 

Sleeman  relates  that  on  this  occasion  the  coffee  was  brought 
into  the  Dewan  Khass  upon  a golden  salver,  and  delivered  to  the 
two  sovereigns  by  the  most  polished  gentleman  of  Mohammed 
Shah’s  Court.  Precedence  and  public  courtesies  are,  in  the  East, 
managed  and  respected  with  a tenacity  and  importance  that  to  us 
of  the  Western  world  seems  positively  ridiculous. 


126 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Nevertheless,  they  are  vital  to  the  Oriental,  and  life  or  death 
have  often  hung  upon  their  manifestations.  All  present  on  this 
occasion  felt  its  significance.  The  movements  of  the  officer,  as  he 
entered  the  gorgeous  apartment,  amid  the  splendid  trains  of  the 
two  Emperors,  were  watched  with  great  anxiety  ; if  he  presented 
the  coffee  first  to  his  own  master,  the  furious  conqueror,  before 
whom  the  sovereign  of  India  and  all  his  courtiers  trembled,  might 
order  him  to  instant  execution  ; if  he  presented  it  to  Nadir  first, 
he  would  certainly  insult  his  own  sovereign  out  of  fear  of  the 
stranger.  To  the  astonishment  df  all,  he  walked  up,  with  a steady 
step,  direct  to  his  own  master.  “ I cannot,”  said  he,  “ aspire  to  the 
honor  of  presenting  the  cup  to  the  king  of  kings,  your  majesty’s 
honored  guest,  nor  would  your  majesty  wish  that  any  hand  but 
your  own  should  do  so.”  The  Emperor  took  the  cup  from  the 
golden  salver,  and  presented  it  to  Nadir  Shah,  who  said  with  a 
smile  as  he  took  it : “ Had  all  your  officers  known  and  done  their 
duty  like  this  man,  you  had  never,  my  good  cousin,  seen  me  and 
my  Kuzul  Bashus  at  Delhi.  Take  care  of  him  for  your  own  sake, 
and  get  around  you  as  many  like  him  as  you  can.” 

All  these  are  now  dust — the  oppressor  and  the  oppressed  gone 
to  their  account  before  God  ; but  the  spirit  of  bigotry,  and  reckless- 
ness of  human  suffering  and  life,  engendered  by  the  Moslem  creed, 
clung  to  the  place  until  its  gems  ceased  to  shine,  and  its  glory  was 
extinguished  forever.  For  here,  too,  sat  its  last  occupant — this 
man  whose  portrait  we  present,  Mohammed  Suraj-oo-deen — on  the 
12th  of  May,  1857,  and  issued  those  orders  under  which  England’s 
embassador  and  his  chaplain,  with  every  Christian  whom  they 
could  find  in  Delhi,  male  and  female,  native  or  European,  were 
butchered  amid  barbarities  the  enormity  of  which  has  never  been 
exceeded  by  any  of  the  edicts  of  cruelty  which  have  gone  forth, 
even  from  the  Dewan  Khass. 

Humanity  heaves  a sigh  of  relief  to  know  that  this  is  the  last. 
The  house  of  Tamerlane  is  no  more  ; their  Dewan  Khass  is  in 
ruins  ; their  pomp,  and  glory,  and  power,  have  gone  down  to  the 
grave  forever. 


A 


The  Taj  Mahal  viewed  from  the  River  Jumna. 


TUB ; FIRST  SIGHT  OF  THE  TAJ.  1 29 

From  these,  with  all  their  crimes,  changes,  and  sufferings,  we 
turn  now  to  the  peaceful  and  lovely  monument  which  is  India’s 
architectural  glory,  and  one  of  earth’s  great  wonders — the  exist- 
ence of  which  is  probably  the  only  valid  apology  remaining  for  the 
vast  revenues  squandered  by  these  irresponsible  despots  during  so 
many  hundred  years. 

About  six  miles  before  the  traveler  reaches  the  city  of  Agra  the 
dome  and  minarets  of  the  world-renowned  Taj  Mahal  burst  upon 
his  view  from  behind  a grove  of  fruit-trees  near  the  road.  The 
effect  is  wonderful ! The  long-anticipated  pleasure  of  beholding 
earth’s  most  beautiful  shrine  is  now  within  his  reach,  and  the  grat- 
ified and  delighted  sight  rests  upon  this  first  view  of  its  harmony 
of  parts,  its  faultless  congregation  of  architectural  beauties,  with  a 
kind  of  ecstasy.  Of  the  thousands  who  have  traveled  far  to  gaze 
upon  it,  it  may  safely  be  asserted  that  not  one  of  the  number  has 
been  disappointed  in  the  examination  of  its  wondrous  beauty.  The 
Oueen  of  Sheba  would  probably  have  admitted,  had  she  seen  it, 
that  the  “ half  had  not  been  told  her.” 

We  first  look  at  it  from  the  north  side,  on  the  river  bank,  where 
the  scene  is  fully  presented.  The  building  to  the  right  of  the  Taj 
is  a Mosque  for  religious  services,  and  that  to  the  left  is  a Travelers’ 
Rest  House,  where  visitors  can  be  accommodated.  We  next  go 
around  to  the  gate  of  entrance  on  the  other  side.  The  central 
avenue  runs  from  the  gate  to  the  Taj,  as  shown  in  the  steel  engrav- 
ing, with  a system  of  fountains,  eighty-four  in  number,  the  entire 
length,  having  a marble  reservoir  in  the  middle  about  forty  feet 
square,  in  which  are  five  additional  fountains,  one  in  the  center, 
and  one  at' each  corner.  On  either  side  of  this  beautiful  sheet  of 
water,  into  which  are  falling  the  silvery  jets  of  spray  from  the  fount- 
ains, are  rows  of  dark  Italian  cypress,  significant  of  the  great  design 
of  the  shrine.  The  river  Jumna  flows  mildly  by,  as  the  garden  is 
on  its  banks,  and  the  birds,  encouraged  by  the  delicious  coolness 
and  shade  of  the  place,  forget  their  usual  lassitude,  and  pour  forth 
their  songs,  while  the  odor  of  roses,  and  of  the  orange,  and  lemon, 
and  tamarind  trees,  perfume  the  air. 


130 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Amid  all  this  loveliness  the  Taj  rises  before  your  view,  upon  an 
elevated  terrace  of  white  and  yellow  marble,  about  thirty  feet  in 
height,  and  having  a graceful  minaret  at  each  corner.  On  either 
side  are  the  beautiful  Mosque  and  the  Rest  House,  facing  inward, 
and  corresponding  exactly  with  each  other  in  size,  design,  and 
execution.  That  on  the  left  side  is  the  one  used  for  service,  as  it 
allows  the  faces  of  the  worshipers  to  be  set  toward  the  tomb  of 
their  prophet,  to  the  west,  at  Mecca.  The  one  to  the  right  is  used 
for  the  accommodation  of  visitors  who  come  from  various  parts  of 
the  world  to  enjoy  this  great  sight,  and  who  here  receive  free  quar- 
ters as  long  as  they  choose  to  remain. 

From  the  center  of  this  great  platform  springs  up  the  Taj  itself. 
A detailed  description  of  its  general  appearance  is  rendered  unnec- 
essary, as  our  readers  have  that  before  them  in  the  beautiful 
engraving  here  given.  The  mausoleum  itself,  the  terrace  upon 
which  it  stands,  and  the  minarets,  are  all  formed  of  the  finest  white 
marble,  inlaid  with  precious  stones.  The  marble  was  brought  from 
the  Jeypore  territory,  a distance  of  nearly  three  hundred  miles, 
and  the  sandstone  for  the  walls,  from  Dholepore  and  Futtehpore 
Secree.  A Persian  manuscript,  preserved  in  the  Taj,  professes  to 
give  a full  account  of  the  stones  and  materials  used  in  its  construc- 
tion. The  white  marble  was  brought  from  Jeypore,  the  yellow 
marble  from  the  Nerbudda,  the  black  from  Charkoh,  crystal  from 
China,  jasper  from  the  Punjab,  carnelian  from  Bagdad,  turquoises 
from  Thibet,  agate  from  Yemen,  lapis  lazuli  from  Ceylon,  diamonds 
from  Punah,  rockspar  from  the  Nerbudda,.  loadstone  from  Gwalior, 
amethyst  and  onyx  from  Persia,  chalcedony  from  Villiat,  and  sap- 
phires from  Lanka — and  this  does  not  exhaust  the  list. 

The  dome,  “ shining  like  an  enchanted  castle  of  burnished 
silver,”  is  seventy  feet  in  diameter,  the  Taj  itself  is  two  hundred 
and  forty-five  feet  in  altitude,  and  the  cullice , or  golden  spire  on 
the  summit,  is  thirty  feet  more,  making  a height  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy-five  feet  from  the  terrace  to  the  golden  crescent. 

It  is  asserted  that  the  whole  of  the  Koran  is  inlaid  upon  the 
building  in  the  Arabic  language,  the  letters  being  beautifully  formed 


. 


. 


* 


The  Gate  of  the  Taj. 


THE  TAJ  A MAUSOLEUM. 


133 


in  black  marble  on  the  outside,  and  in  precious  stones  within. 
Nearly  all  the  external  ornamentation  which  the  reader  sees  in  the 
engraving  are  these  texts. 

The  writer’s  earnest  desire  is,  that  his  description  may  in  some 
measure  be  worthy  of  the  pictures  ; yet,  though  conscious  of 
having  done  his  best,  and  venturing  to  assert  that  he  has  here 
brought  together  the  most  complete  account  of  the  Taj  that  has 
yet  appeared,  still  he  realizes  to  himself  how  tame  and  imperfect  is 
any  effort  to  convey  to  those  who  never  had  the  privilege  of  seeing 
it  an  adequate  idea  of  what  its  beauty  really  is,  or  of  the  effect  it 
produces  upon-  the  mind  of  the  beholder  as  he  stands  within  its 
sacred  inclosure  and  realizes  its  loveliness  as  fully  displayed  before 
him.  Like  piety,  or  like  heaven,  it  may  be  said  of  the  beauty  of 
the  Taj,  that  “ no  man  knoweth  it  save  him  that  receiveth  it.”  Let 
our  readers  judge  of  this  enthusiasm  by  the  views  before  them,  and 
by  what  follows. 

The  beautiful  wood-cut  opposite,  presenting  the  view  of  the  gate 
of  the  Taj,  and  the  steel  engraving  which  follows,  are  both  made 
from  photographs  of  the  originals,  taken  in  India,  so  that  our 
readers  may  . be  assured  that  they  have  here  before  them  the  most 
perfect  and  worthy  representation  of  this  matchless  structure  that 
has  ever  appeared. 

The  Taj  is  a mausoleum,  built  by  the  Great  Mogul,  Shah  Jehan, 
over  his  beautiful  Empress.  It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a garden 
of  vast  extent  and  beauty,  three  miles  from  Agra.  The  entrance 
to  the  garden  is  through  the  gateway  here  shown.  This  superb 
entrance  is  of  red  sandstone,  inlaid  with  ornaments  and  with  texts 
from  the  Koran  in  white  marble,  and  is  itself  a palace,  both  as 
regards  its  magnitude  and  its  decoration.  The  lofty  walls  that 
surround  the  garden  are  of  the  same  material,  having  arched  colon- 
nades running  around  the  interior,  and  giving  an  air  of  magnifi- 
cence to  the  whole  inclosure.  The  garden  is  laid  out  with  rich 
taste.  Its  paths  are  paved  with  slabs  of  freestone,  arranged  in 
fanciful  devices.  Noble  trees,  affording  a delightful  shade  and 
pleasant  walks,  even  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  are  planted  in  suffi- 


134 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


dent  number  through  the  various  spaces,  while  the  fruit-trees,  with 
the  graceful  palm,  the  banyan,  and  the  feathery  bamboo,  mingle 
their  foliage,  and  are  ornamented  by  the  sweet-scented  tamarind 
and  by  flowers  of  the  loveliest  hue,  which  bloom  in  profusion 
around. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  whether  the  exterior  or  the  interior  is 

/ 

the  more  fascinating ; each  has  its  own  matchless  claim,  and  each  is 
perfect  in  its  loveliness.  Externally,  the  best  times  to  see  the  Taj 
are  by  sunrise  or  by  moonlight.  The  midday  sun  shining  upon  its 
polished  surface  is  too  brilliant  for  the  eye  to  bear  with  satisfaction  : 
for  a position  from  whence  to  view  it,  the  gallery  on  the  top  of 
the  entrance-gate  inside  is  decidedly  the  best  point  of  observation. 
An  hour  before  the  sun  rises  you  may  see  persons  taking  their 
places  in  that  gallery,  and  there,  elevated  about  sixty  feet,  they 
wait  for  the  opening  day,  and  the  effect  produced  is  thus  well 
described  : “ The  gray  light  of  morning  had  not  yet  appeared  when 
we.  reached  the  Taj  and  made  our  way  up  to  the  top  of  the  gate,  to 
look  upon  it  as  it  gradually  grew  into  shape  and  form  at  the  bid- 
ding of  the  rising  sun.  The  moon  had  just  hidden  her  face  beneath 
the  western  horizon,  and  the  darkness  was  at  its  deepest,  presaging 
the  approaching  break  of  day.  We  looked  down  upon  the  immense 
inclosure  crowded  with  trees  mingled  together  in  one  undistin- 
guishable  mass,  gently  surging  and  moaning  in  the  night  breeze. 
Above  rose,  apparently  in  the  distance,  a huge  gray-blue  mass, 
without  shape  or  form,  which  rested  like  a cloud  on  the  gloomy  sea 
of  foliage.  Soon  a faint  glimmer  of  light  appeared  in  the  eastern 
horizon  ; as  the  darkness  fled  away  before  its  gradually  increasing 
power,  the  cloud  changed  first  to  a light  blue,  and  then  developed 
into  shape  and  proportion  ; and  the  minarets,  and  the  cupolas,  and 
dome  defined  themselves  in  clearer  lines  upon  the  still  dark  sky 
beyond.  Soon  the  first  rosy  tint  of  the  dawn  appeared,  and  as  if 
hy  magic  the  whole  assumed  a roseate  hue,  which  increased  as  the 
sun  made  its  appearance,  and  the  Taj  stood  before  us,  dazzlingly 
brilliant  in  the  purest  white,  absolutely  perfect  in  its  fairy  propor- 
tions. It  is  impossible  to  describe  it.  1 had  heard  of  perfection 


THE  TAJ  SEEN  BY  MOONLIGHT. 


137 


of  outline  and  of  graceful  symmetry  of  proportion,  but  never  real- 
ized the  true  meaning  of  the  words  until  the  morning  when  I 
watched  the  Taj  burst  into  loveliness  at  the  touch  of  the  sun’s 
magic  wand.” 

Under  the  softened  light  of  the  moon  the  beautiful  structure 
develops  fresh  beauties.  The  dazzling  effect  has  ceased,  and  you 
gaze  upon. -every  part  of  it  as  it  appears  bathed  in  a soft  amber 
light  that  seems  to  enter  your  own  soul,  and  impart  its  peace  and 
serenity  till  you  wonder  that  outside  these  walls  there  can  be  a 
world  of  sin,  and  strife,  and  sorrow.  You  are  conscious  of  aban- 
doning yourself  to  the  delightful,  if  brief,  enjoyment  of  that  poetic 
and  mental  peace  which  the  charming  scene  was  designed  to  pro- 
duce upon  the  beholder. 

Let  us  now  enter  the  wonderful  shrine  itself,  and  gaze  upon 
its  internal  beauty.  Before  entering  the  central  hall  we  descend 
to  the  vault  below,  where  the  real  sarcophagi  are,  in  which  lie  the 
remains  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress.  Her  tomb  occupies  the 
very  center,  and  his  is  by  her  side.  The  light  is  made  to  fall 
directly  upon  her  tomb,  which  is  of  white  marble  and  beautifully 
decorated.  But  the  especial  splendor  is  reserved  for  the  tombs  in 
the  rotunda  above,  directly  over  these,  and  which,  as  it  were,  offi- 
cially represent  them. 

We  ascend  to  them,  and  stand  amid  a scene  of  architectural 
glory  which  has  no  equal  on  earth.  Above  us  rises  the  lofty  dome, 
far  up  into  the  dim  distance.  The  floor  on  which  we  tread  is  of 
polished  marble  and  jasper,  ornamented  with  a wainscoating  of 
sculptured  marble  tablets  inlaid  with  flowers  formed  of  precious 
stones.  Around  are  windows  or  screens  of  marble  filigree,  richly 
wrought  in  various  patterns,  which  admit  a faint  and  delicate 
illumination — what  Ritualists  would  love  to  call  “ a dim,  religious 
light” — into  the  gorgeous  apartment.  In  the  center  are  the  two 
tombs,  surrounded  by  a magnificent  octagonal  screen  about  six  feet 
high,  with  doors  on  the  sides.  The  open  tracery  in  this  white 
marble  screen  is  wrought  into  beautiful  flowers,  such  as  lilies, 
irises,  and  others,  and  the  borders  of  the  screen  are  inlaid  with 


138 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


precious  stones,  representing  flowers,  executed  with  such  wonder- 
ful perfection  that  the  forms  wave  as  in  nature,  and  the  hues  and 
shades  of  the  stems,  leaves,  and  flowers  appear  as  real  almost  as 
the  beauties  which  they  represent. 

These  ornamental  designs  are  so  carefully  and  exquisitely  exe- 
cuted that  several  of  the  flowers  have  as  many  as  eighty  different 
stones  entering  into  their  composition,  all  polished  uniform  with 
the  marble,  into  which  they  are  so  delicately  inserted  that  you  can 
hardly  trace  their  joinings.  They  seem  as  though  they  had  grown 
there,  instead  of  being  separately  prepared  and  placed  in  their 
positions  by  the  hands  of  the  “cunning  workman,”  who  designed 
and  executed  this  imperishable  and  magnificent  memorial  of  human 
love. 

But  the  richest  work  of  all  is  on  the  cenotaph  of  the  Empress 
within  the  screen.  Upon  her  tomb — according  to  universal  Moham- 
medan usage — is  a slate  or  tablet  of  marble,  while  on  the  Emperor’s 
is  a small  box  representing  a pen-holder.  These  always  distin- 
guish a man’s  or  a woman’s  grave  among  these  people ; the  idea 
being  that  a woman’s  heart  is  a tablet  on  which  lordly  man  can 
write  whatever  pleases  him  best.  And  this  mark  of  feminine 
inferiority  was  not  spared  even  the  beloved  occupant  of  the  Taj 
Mahal. 

But  her  tomb — how  beautiful ! The  snow-white  marble  is  inlaid 
with  flowers  so  delicately  formed  that  they  look  like  embroidery  on 
white  satin,  so  exquisitely  is  the  mosaic  executed  in  carnelian, 
blood-stone,  agates,  jasper,  turquoise,  lapis  lazuli,  and  other  precious 
stones.  Thirty-five  different  specimens  of  carnelian  are  employed 
in  forming  a single  leaf  of  a carnation  ; and  in  one  flower,  not 
larger  than  a silver  dollar,  as  many  as  twenty-three  different  stones 
can  be  counted.  Yet  these  are  but  specimens  of  the  beauties  that 
are  spread  in  unparalleled  profusion  over  this  entire  chamber. 
Indeed,  Long  asserts  that  he  found  one  flower  upon  her  tomb  to 
be  composed  of  no  less  than  three  hundred  different  stones. 

Her  name  and  date  of  death,  with  her  virtuous  qualities,  are 
recorded  in  the  same  costly  manner,  in  gems  of  Arabic — the  sacred 


REMARKABLE  EFFECT  OF  SOFT  MUSIC.  1 39 

language  of  the  Mohammedans — on  the  side  of  her  tomb.  There 
are  other  inscriptions  upon  it,  which  we  will  hereafter  refer  to  when 
we  come  to  examine  who  this  lady  was  that  was  thus  honored  in 
death  beyond  all  her  sex. 

The  Emperor’s  tomb  is  plainer  than  the  other,  has  no  passages 
from  the  Koran,  but  merely  a similar  mosaic  work  of  flowers,  and 
his  name,  with  the  date  of  his  death,  upon  it. 

Over  all  this  richness  and  beauty  rises  the  magnificent  dome, 
which  is  so  constructed  as  to  contain  an  echo  more  pure,  and  pro- 
longed, and  harmonious  than  any  other  in  the  world,  so  far  as 
known.  A competent  judge  has  declared,  “ Of  all  the  complicated 
music  ever  heard  on  earth,  that  of  a flute  played  gently  in  the  vault 
below,  where  the  remains  of  the  Emperor  and  his  consort  repose, 
as  the  sound  rises  to  the  dome  amid  a hundred  arched  alcoves 
around,  and  descends  in  heavenly  reverberations  upon  those  who 
sit  or  recline  on  the  cenotaphs  above,  is  perhaps  the  finest  to  an 
inartificial  ear.  We  feel  as  if  it  were  from  heaven,  and  breathed 
by  angels.  It  is  to  the  ear  what  the  building  itself  is  to  the  eye  ; 
but  unhappily  it  cannot,  like  the  building,  live  in  our  recollections. 
All  that  we  can  in  after  life  remember  is,  that  it  was  heavenly  and 
produced  heavenly  emotions.”  An  enthusiast  thus  more  glowingly 
describes  it : “ Now  take  your  seat  upon  the  marble  pavement 
beside  the  upper  tombs,  and  send  your  companion  to  the  vault 
underneath  to  run  slowly  over  the  notes  of  his  flute  or  guitar. 
Was  ever  melody  like  this  ? It  haunts  the  air  above  and  around. 
It  distills  in  showers  upon  the  polished  marble.  It  condenses  into 
the  mild  shadows,  and  sublimes  into  the  softened,  hallowed  light 
of  the  dome.  It  rises,  it  falls  ; it  swims  mockingly,  meltingly 
around.  It  is  the  very  element  with  which  sweet  dreams  are 
budded.  It  is  the  melancholy  echo  of  the  past — it  is  the  brght, 
delicate  harping  of  the  future.  It  is  the  atmosphere  breathed  by 
Ariel,  and  playing  around  the  fountain  of  Chindara.  It  is  the  spirit 
of  the  Taj,  the  voice  of  inspired  love,  which  called  into  being  this 
peerless  wonder  of  the  world,  and  elaborated  its  symmetry  and 
composed  its  harmony,  and,  eddying  around  its  young  minarets 


140  THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 

and  domes,  blended  them  without  a line  into  the  azure  of 
immensity.” 

Let  us  imagine,  if  we  can,  the  effect  produced  here  when  the 
funeral  dirge  was  chanted  over  the  tomb  of  the  lovely  Empress,  and 
the  answering  echoes,  in  the  pauses  of  the  strains,  would  seem  to 
fall  like  the  responses  of  angel  choirs  in  paradise! 

Princely  provision  was  made  by  the  gifted  originator  of  the  Taj 
for  its  care  and  services.  The  light  that  fell  upon  that  tomb  day 
and  night  was  from  perfumed  oil  in  golden  lamps  ; fresh  gar- 
lands of  nature’s  flowers  were  laid  upon  it  daily  ; Mogul  musicians 
furnished  appropriate  music  ; five  times  in  each  twenty-four  hours 
the  Muezzin’s  cry  to  prayers  resounded  from  these  minarets ; and  a 
eunuch  of  high  station,  with  two  thousand  Sepoys  under  his  orders, 
held  watch  and  ward  without  ceasing  over  the  entire  place  and  all 
its  approaches.  None  but  men  of  Mohammedan  faith  were  per- 
mitted to  come  within  these  precincts,  or  to  draw  near  her  tomb  ; 
and  the  enti-e  shrine  was  by  the  Emperor’s  orders  expressly  held 
sacred  from  the  approach  of  any  Christian  foot. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  occasionally  exhibiting  its  loveli- 
ness by  light  adequate  to  bring  out  its  perfect  beauty.  Rests  were 
provided  on  the  eight  corners  of  the  shrine  for  blue  or  Bengal 
lights,  and  when  these  were  simultaneously  fired,  as  the  writer  has 
seen  them,  the  effect  was  magical.  The  candles  had  been  pre- 
viously extinguished  and  the  building  left  in  total  darkness,  when, 
at  the  signal,  the  brilliant  illumination  burst  forth,  and  every  point 
and  ornament,  even  to  the  top  of  the  rich  dome  itself,  was  dis- 
played more  gloriously  than  the  light  of  day  could  ever  have  exhib- 
ited their  rich  colors.  The  inlaid  ornamentation  and  filagree  of 
the  scenes,  now  like  transparent  and  delicate  lace-work,  all  seemed, 
to  the  astonished  vision,  like  a palace  of  enchantment,  and  the 
mind  of  the  beholder  was  awed  into  homage  of  that  rare  intellect 
which  could  devise  and  execute  this  the  most  beautiful  monument 
on  which  the  human  eye  can  ever  gaze  on  earth  ! 

Perhaps  no  one  has  ever  rendered  such  perfect  justice  to  the 
beauty  of  this  mausoleum  as  the  unnamed  author  quoted  by 


THE  TAJ  MATCHLESS. 


141 

Stocqueler.  He  thus  sketches  it : “I  have  been  to  visit  the  Taj. 
I have  returned  full  of  emotion.  My  mind  is  enriched  with  visions 
of  ideal  beauty.  When  first  I approached  the  Taj,  eleven  years 
ago,  I was  disappointed.  In  after  days,  when  my  admiration  for 
the  loveliness  of  this  building  had  grown  into  a passion,  I 
often  inquired  why  this  should  have  been  ? And  the  only  answer 
I can  find  is,  that  the  symmetry  is  too  perfect  to  strike  at  first.  It 
meets  you  as  the  most  natural  of  objects.  It,  therefore,  does  not 
startle,  and  you  return  from  it  disappointed  that  you  have  not  been 
startled.  But  it  grows  upon  you  in  all  the  harmony  of  its  propor- 
tions, in  all  the  exquisite  delicacy  of  its  adornment,  and  at  each 
glance  some  fresh  beauty  or  grace  is  developed.  And,  besides,  it 
stands  so  much  alone  in  the  world  of  beauty.  Imagination  has 
never  conceived  a second  Taj,  nor  had  any  thing  similar  ever  before 
occurred  to  it. 

“View  the  Taj  at  a distance ! It  is  as  the  spirit  of  some  happy 
dream,  dwelling  dim,  but  pure,  upon  the  horizon  of  your  hope,  and 
reigning  in  virgin  supremacy  over  the  visible  circle  of  the  earth  and 
sky.  Approach  it  nearer,  and  its  grandeur  appears  unlessened  by 
the  acuteness  of  its  fabric,  and  swelling  in  all  its  fresh  and  fairy  har- 
mony until  you  are  at  a loss  for  feelings  worthy  of  its  presence. 
Approach  still  nearer,  and  that  which,  as  a whole,  has  proved  so> 
charming,  is  found  to  be  equally  exquisite  in  the  minutest  detail 
Here  are  no  mere  touches  for  distant  effect.  Here  is  no  need  to 
place  the  beholder  in  a particular  spot  to  cast  a partial  light  upon 
the  performance ; the  work  which  dazzles  with  its  elegance  at  the 
coup  d' ceil  will  bear  the  scrutiny  of  the  miscroscope  ; the  sculpture 
of  the  panels,  the  fretwork  and  mosaic  of  the  screen,  the  elegance 
of  the  marble  pavement,  the  perfect  finish  of  every  jot  and  iota,  are 
as  if  the  meanest  architect  had  been  one  of  those  potent  genii  who- 
were  of  yore  compelled  to  adorn  the  palaces  of  necromancers  and. 
kings. 

“ We  feel,  as  our  eye  wanders  around  this  hallowed  space,  that 
we  have  hitherto  lavished  our  language  and  admiration  in  vain,. 

We  dread  to  think  of  it  with  feelings  which  workmanship  less 

8 


142 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


exquisite  has  awakened,  and  we  dare  not  use,  in  its  praise,  lan- 
guage hackneyed  in  the  service  of  every-day  minds.  We  seek  for 
at  a new  train  of  associations,  a fresh  range  of  ideas,  a greener  and 
more  sacred  corner  in  the  repository  of  the  heart.  And  yet,  where- 
fore should  this  be,  since  no  terms  applying  to  other  works  of  beauty, 
excepting  the  most  general,  can  be  appropriated  here  ? For  those 
there  be  phrases  established  by  usage,  which  their  several  classifi- 
cations of  style  render  intelligible  to  all  acquainted  with  similar 
works  of  art.  But  in  the  Taj  we  fall  upon  a new  and  separate  cre- 
ation, which  never  can  become  a style,  since  it  can  never  be  imi- 
tated. It  is  like  some  bright  and  newly  discovered  winged  thing, 
all  beauteous  in  a beauty  peculiar  to  itself,  and  referable  to  no  class 
<or  order  on  the  roll  of  zoology,  which  the  whole  world  flocks  to 
gaze  upon  with  solemn  delight,  none  presuming  to  designate  the 
lovely  stranger,  nor  to  conjecture  a kindred  for  it  with  the  winged 
things  of  the  earth.  Suffice  it — Love  was  its  author,  Beauty  its 
inspiration.” 

There  never  was  erected  in  this  world  any  thing  so  perfect  and 
lovely,  save  Solomon’s  Temple.  In  gazing  down  upon  the  scene, 
as  the  writer  did  in  the  closing  days  of  the  terrible  rebellion  in 
1858,  the  effect  was  wonderful,  and  akin  to  those  emotions  that 
must  thrill  the  soul  which  looks  out  for  the  first  time  upon  the 
plains  of  heaven.  Every  thing  that  could  remind  one  of  ruin  and 
misery  seemed  so  far  away,  that  as  we  sat,  and  the  delighted  eyes 
drank  in  the  scene  before  them,  terminated  by  the  gorgeous  fane 
as  it  rose  up  toward  the  blue  and  cloudless  sky,  we  thought,  if  John 
Bunyan  could  have  shared  the  opportunity,  he  would  surely  have 
imagined  his  dreams  realized,  and  believed  himself  looking  over  the 
battlements  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  and  viewing  that  “region  of 
eternal  day”  where  holiness  and  peace  are  typified  by  pearls  and 
gold,  and  all  manner  of  precious  stones,  with  the  fountain  of  life, 
clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  from  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb ! 

Two  questions  now  remain  to  be  answered:  Who  was  the  lady 
to  whom  the  Taj  was  erected  ? and,  Who  was  the  architect  who 
.designed  and  executed  it  ? 


FOR  WHOM  THE  TAJ  ere cted? 


143 


There  has  been  much  misunderstanding  upon  these  subjects. 
The  wrong  lady  has  been  named  by  authors  who  might  have 
understood  better,  had  they  consulted  the  proper  authorities,  and  it 
has  also  been  asserted  that  the  architect  was  unknown.  Bayard 
Taylor,  for  instance,  in  his  India , China , and  Japan , informs  his 
readers  that  “ Shah  Jehan — the  ‘Selim  ' of  Moore’s  poem — erected 
it  as  a mausoleum  to  his  Queen  Noor  Jehan,  the  ‘ Light  of  the 
World,’”  and  he  several  times  repeats  this  blunder.  Mr.  Taylor  is 
not  profound  in  Indian  history.  Every  statement  in  the  above 
quotation  is  incorrect.  The  Selim  of  Moore’s  poem  was  not  Shah 
Jehan,  but  his  father;  Noor  Jehan  was  not  Shah  Jehan’s  wife,  but 
his  stepmother ; and  Noor  Jehan  was  not  buried  in  the  Taj,  but 
beyond  the  Attock,  in  the  North  west,  where  her  tomb  is  to-day  a 
mere  ruin.  That  Bayard  Taylor  should  write  in  this  superficial 
style  is  not  very  unusual  with  him  : but  that  such  authors  as  Mont- 
gomery Martin  and  Bishop  Heber  should  say  it  was  for  Noor 
Jehan  is  indeed  surprising:  for  they  had  acquaintance  with  the 
history  of  India,  and  had  not  to  depend  upon  ignorant  guides  and 
guide  books  for  the  information  they  would  give  their  readers. 

Our  description  of  Etmad-od-Doulah's  Tomb  will  present  the 
facts,  showing  that  the  infant  born  in  the  desert  afterward  became 
the  wife,  first  of  Sheer  Afghan,  and  then  of  Prince  Selim,  after  he 
mounted  the  throne,  taking  the  name  of  Jehangeer,  when  he  con- 
ferred upon  her  the  title  of  Noor  Jehan.  These  were  the  hero  and 
heroine  of  Moore's  poem.  Shah  Jehan,  who  built  the  Taj,  was  the 
son  of  Jehangeer  by  a different  wife  than  Noor  Jehan.  Noor 
Jehan’s  brother,  Asuf  Jan,  had  a daughter  whom  Shah  Jehan 
married,  and. to  whom  he  gave  the  title  of  Moomtaj-i-Mahal,  and  it 
was  to  her  memory  that  he  built  the  Taj,  long  after  his  father  was 
dead,  and  while  he  held  his  stepmother,  Noor  Jehan — who  died  in 
1646 — in  a state  of  honorable  captivity.  Moomtaj-i-Mahal  died  in 
1631,  fifteen  years  before  her  aunt,  Noor  Jehan. 

The  history  of  Moomtaj  is  very  interesting,  and  we  may  give  a 
few  of  the  facts  here.  She  was  very  beautiful,  and  obtained  an 
unbounded  influence  over  the  mind  of  the  Emperor,  exhibiting 


144 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


such  capacity  for  the  management  of  State  affairs,  that  her  husband 
seems  for  years  to  have  resigned  the  reins  of  government  into 
her  hands,  while  he  was  consuming  his  time  over  the  wine  bottle 
in  the  company  of  a favorite  French  physician. 

From  this  dream  of  pleasure,  the  history  tells  us,  Shah  Jehan 
was  suddenly  awakened  by  the  fatal  illness  of  his  beautiful  Empress. 
She  died  in  giving  birth  to  a daughter,  who  is  said  to  have  been 
heard  crying  in  the  womb  by  herself  and  her  other  daughters. 
She  sent  for  the  Emperor,  and  told  him  that  she  believed  no 
mother  had  ever  been  known  to  survive  the  birth  of  a child  so 
heard,  and  that  she  felt  her  end  was  near.  “She  had,”  she  said, 
“ only  two  requests  to  make : first,  that  he  would  not  marry  again 
after  her  death,  and  have  children  to  contend  with  hers  for  his 
favors  and  dominions  ; and,  secondly,  that  he  would  build  for  her 
the  tomb  with  which  he  had  promised  to  perpetuate  her  name.” 
Both  her  dying  requests  were  granted.  Her  tomb  was  commenced 
immediately.  No  woman  ever  pretended  to  supply  her  place  in  the 
palace,  nor  had  Shah  Jehan  children  by  any  other. 

But  Moomtaj  might  well,  in  her  dying  hours,  make  the  request 
she  did,  for  she  could  not  be  ignorant  that  Shah  Jehan  had  secured 
the  throne  to  himself,  from  the  other  children  of  his  father,  by  the 
- use  of  the  dagger  and  the  bow-string.  And  it  was  not  without 
reason  ; for  before  she  was  many  years  laid  in  the  Taj  her  own 
children,  even,  contended  for  the  throne  ; and  the  magnificent  Shah 
Jehan,  realizing  that  “as  he  had  done  so  God  rewarded  him,”  died 
in  prison  in  1 666,  a captive  in  the  hands  of  his  son,  Aurungzebe, 
who  had  already  followed  the  example  of  his  father  in  hunting 
down  and  destroying  his  brothers  and  nephews  in  order  to  secure 
the  throne  undisputed  to  himself. 

But  we  return  to  the  peaceful  Taj.  The  Empress  Moomtaj  was 
a Khadija  in  her  day,  a Mohammedan  devotee,  and  a bitter  foe  of 
Christianity — such  Christianity  as  she  knew.  She  took  care  that 
this  animosity  should  go  with  her  to  the  grave,  and  even  be  inserted 
on  her  tomb  ; and  there  it  is  to-day,  in  the  Taj,  amid  the  flowers  and 
inscriptions  on  her  cenotaph — a prohibition  and  a prayer  against 


ROMANISM'S  LOST  OPPORTUNITY. 


145 


Christ’s  followers,  which  her  race  has  now  forever  lost  the  power 
to  enforce,  and  which  God  Almighty  has  taken  providential  care 
shall  not  only  remain  unanswered,  but  be  reversed  to  the  very 
letter. 

The  circumstances  were  these  : Prior  to  the  days  of  Shah  Jehan 
and  his  wife,  the  Portuguese,  attracted  by  the  fame  and  the  wealth 
of  the  great  Akbar  and  his  sons,  had  found  their  way  to  India, 
establishing  themselves  as  traders  and  merchants,  on  the  west  coast 
at  Goa  and  on  the  east  at  Hooghly,  near  the  present  Calcutta. 
Some,  who  were  artisans,  reached  Agra,  the  imperial  city,  where 
they  were  employed  by  the  Government  chiefly  in  the  duties  of  the 
artillery,  the  arsenals  and  founderies,  and  a few  as  artists.  I he 
emoluments  of  office,  for  arts  which  they  were  thus  introducing, 
were  very  large,  and  soon  attracted  great  numbers  to  Agra,  so  that 
Monsieur  Thevenot,  who  visited  Agra  in  1666,  tells  us  that  the 
Christian  families  there  were  estimated  to  have  been  about  twenty- 
five  thousand — an  exaggeration  doubtless.  Still  their  number 
must  have  been  large ; and  among  them  were  some  Italians 
and  Frenchmen,  as  is  evident  from  their  tombs,  which  are  still 
extant  in  the  Roman  Catholic  cemetery  at  Agra,  where  the  dates 
of  several  are  still  visible  on  the  head-stones,  ranging  from  the 
year  1600  to  1650. 

Akbar  and  Shah  Jehan  allowed  these  people  the  free  exercise  of 
their  religion.  Indeed,  the  former  built  them  a church,  and  used 
to  take  pleasure- in  presiding  at  discussions  where  he  matched  the 
Romanist  priests  against  his  Pundits  and  Moulvies,  and  seemed  to 
enjoy  the  theological  battles  between  them.  Feeble  as  the  light 
was  which  thus  penetrated  the  imperial  household,  it  did  not  shine 
in  vain,  for  some  of  Akbar’s  household  were  actually  baptized  and* 
professed  the  Christian  faith. 

Roman  Catholicism  never  had  a grander  opportunity  than  it 
enjoyed  at  Agra  during  those  sixty  years.  Had  it  been  a pure 
Christianity  it  might  have  won  over  the  house  of  Tamerlane  to 
the  faith,  and  perhaps  have  saved  all  India  long  since.  But  it 
failed  utterly,  and  won  only  a grave-yard  at  Agra.  These  thousands 


146 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


of  families  soon  vanished  away  and  left  no  succession,  for  Hindoos 
and  Mohammedans  learned  to  perform  duties  which  they  saw 
bringing  to  the  Christians  so  much  honor  and  profit,  and,  as  they 
did  so,  they  necessarily  hastened  the  removal  of  a religion  which 
they  detested.  What  is  needed  in  India  is  a Christianity  inde- 
pendent of  the  emoluments  of  office — one  that  shall  take  root  in 
the  soil,  and  be  self-sustaining.  But  Romanism  failed,  and  not 
from  this  cause  alone,  or  even  chiefly  ; its  weak  point  was  the 
fearful  charge  ot  idolatry  which  the  Moulvies  triumphantly  urged 
against  its  priests  on  all  occasions.  The  skeptical  but  honest 
Akbar — the  Oriental  head  of  a faith  iconoclastic  to  the  core — was 
confused,  as  well  he  might  be,  when  he  saw  his  own  Moulvies  able 
to  quote  the  Christian  Bible  against  professed  Christian  ministers 
to  sustain  this  terrible  charge.  Denial  of  it  would  not  avail ; there 
were  their  own  teachings  and  acts : worship  and  prayers  to  the 
Virgin  Mary,  invocation  of  saints,  and  prostrations  before  pictures 
and  images.  The  subterfuge  of  a qualified  homage  was  rejected  in 
view  of  the  prohibition  of  the  Second  Commandment  of  Almighty 
God,  forbidding  not  only  the  act,  but  also  its  semblance,  “ Thou 
shalt  not  bow  down  to  them,  nor  worship  them.”  The  priests  were 
worsted  ; and  Akbar  and  his  people,  knowing  no  Christianity  but 
this,  concluded  that  the  religion  of  the  Son  of  God  was  on  a par 
with  Paganism,  and  that  Christians  were  idolaters.  A revulsion 
set  in,  which  the  Empress  Moomtaj  afterward  fully  shared.  In  her 
case,  the  hatred  of  the  Christian  name  was  intensified  by  the 
remembrance  of  some  insolence  shown  by  the  Portuguese  at 
Hooghly,  several  years  before  her  husband  ascended  the  throne, 
and  when  he  was  a fugitive,  after  an  unsuccessful  rebellion  against 
•his  father.  When  the  power  passed  into  her  hands  her  hatred 
against  “ the  European  idolaters,”  as  she  called  them,  led  her  to 
demand  their  expulsion,  at  least  from  Hooghly. 

Accordingly,  the  Governor  of  Bengal  received  from  Shah  Jehan 
the  laconic  command,  “ Expel  those  idolaters  from  my  dominions.” 
It  was  done.  Hooghly  was  carried  by  storm,  after  a siege  of 
three  months  and  a half,  involving  a terrible  destruction  of  life  on 


A PRATER  WHICH  GOD  REFUSES  TO  ANSWER.  14 7 

the  side  of  the  Portuguese,  whose  fleet  was  almost  entirely  anni- 
hilated. The  principal  ship,  in  which  about  two  thousand  men, 
women,  and  children  had  taken  refuge,  with  all  their  treasure,  was 
blown  up  by  her  captain  sooner  than  surrender  to  the  Moguls. 
From  the  prisoners  five  hundred  young  persons  of  both  sexes, 
with  some  of  the  priests,  were  sent  to  Agra.  The  girls  were 
divided  among  the  harems  of  the  court  and  nobles,  the  boys  cir- 
cumcised, and  the  priests  and  Jesuits  threatened  with  torture  if 
they  refused  to  accept  the  Koran.  After  some  months  of  impris- 
onment, however,  they  were  liberated  and  sent  off  to  Goa,  and  the 
pictures  and  images,  which  had  excited  the  ire  of  the  Empress, 
were  all  destroyed  by  her  orders.  Such  wrong  did  Romanism  do 
Christianity  in  India,  and  the  name  of  our  God  and  Saviour  was 
blasphemed  among  the  heathen  through  its  idolatry. 

The  Empress  Moomtaj,  even  in  death,  could  not  forget  her  en- 
mity to  every  form  of  Christianity,  and  secured  that  it  should  be 
expressed  upon  her  very  tomb,  and  there  it  remains  to-day,  and 
will  remain  while  the  world  stands  or  the  Taj  exists.  The  inscrip- 
tion on  the  tomb,  translated,  is  as  follows  : “ Moomtaj-i-Mahal , 
Ranee  Begum , died  1631  and  on  the  end  of  the  tomb  which  faces 
the  entrance,  so  that  all  may  see  it  as  they  approach,  are  these 
words  : “ And  defend  us  from  the  tribe  of  unbelievers  ” — Kafirs  ; the 
word  “ Kafirs  ” being  a bitter  term  of  contempt  for  Christians  and 
all  who  lack  faith  in  Mohammed  and  the  Koran. 

Heaven  would  not  answer  the  fanatical  prayer  of  this  mistaken 
woman  ; but,  instead,  has  placed  even  her  shrine  in  the  custody  of 
those  she  hated  ; and  that  very  “ tribe  ” now  gather  from  all  parts 
of  the  civilized  world,  to  enter  freely  and  admire  the  splendors  of 
the  tomb  which  was  raised  over  her  remains,  and  smile  with  pity 
at  the  impotent  bigotry  which  asked  Heaven  to  forbid  their  ap- 
proach ! The  writer  had  the  privilege,  with  a band  of  Christian 
missionaries,  of  standing  around  her  tomb,  and,  in  the  presence  of 
these  words,  of  joining  heartily  in  singing  the  Christian  Doxology 
over  her  moldering  remains,  while  the  echo  above  sweetly  repeated 
the  praise’ to  “Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.” 


148 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


An  article  on  the  Taj,  without  some  account  of  its  architect , 
would  be  indeed  incomplete.  But  the  record,  assuming  its  cor- 
rectness, enables  us  to  supply  this  information  also.  The  wonder- 
ful man  whose  creation  the  Taj  is,  was,  it  is  believed,  a French- 
man, by  the  name  of  Austin  de  Bordeux,  a man  of  great  ability. 
The  Emperor,  who  had  unbounded  confidence  in  his  merit  and 
integrity,  gave  him  the  title  of  “ Zurrier  Dust” — the  Jewel-Handed 
— to  distinguish  him  from  all  other  artists  ; but  by  the  native 
writers  he  is  called  “ Gostan  Esau  Nadir  ol  Asur” — the  Wonder 
ful  of  the  Age.  For  his  office  of  “ Nuksha  Nuwes,”  or  architect,  he 
received  a regular  salary  of  one  thousand  rupees  per  month — 
$6,000  gold  per  annum  — with  perquisites  and  presents,  which 
made  his  income  very  large.  He  built  the  palace  at  Delhi  and  the 
palace  at  Agra,  as  well  as  the  Taj. 

Tavernier,  the  traveler,  who  saw  this  building  commenced  and 
finished,  tells  us  that  the  Taj,  in  its  erection,  occupied  20,000  men 
for  twenty-two  years.  Its  cost,  we  are  told,  was  “ threescore,  seven- 
teen lakhs,  forty-eight  thousand  and  twenty-six  rupees  that  is, 
,£3,174,802  sterling,  or,  in  American  money,  $15,874,010  gold,  of 
the  money  of  that  time,  equal  to  about  $60,000,000  of  our  money  ! 
But  many  of  the  precious  stones  in  the  mosaic  were  presented  by 
different  tributary  powers,  and  are  not  included  in  the  above  esti- 
mate. Having  finished  the  Taj,  the  architect  was  engaged  in 
designing  a silver  ceiling  for  one  of  the  galleries  in  the  palace  at 
Agra  when  he  was  sent  by  the  Emperor  on  business  of  great 
importance  to  Goa.  He  died  at  Cochin  on  his  return,  and  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  poisoned  by  the  Portuguese,  who  were  jealous 
■of  his  influence  at  Court.  Shah  Jehan  had  commenced  his  own 
tomb  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jumna,  and  it  and  the  Taj  were  to 
have  been  united  by  a bridge  ; but  the  death  of  Austin  de  Bor- 
deux, and  the  wars  between  Shah  Jehan’s  sons,  which  then  broke 
out,  prevented  the  completion  of  these  magnificent  works,  and  so 
the  Emperor  was  laid  beside  his  consort,  when  he  died  in  1666, 
and  the  Taj  contains  the  remains  of  both. 

The  Empress’s  title,  translated,  is,  The  Ornament  of  the  Palace, 


ETMAD  OD-DOULAU'S  TOMB. 


15' 

for  so  Shah  Johan  esteemed  her.  The  name  of  the  tomb,  Taj 
Mahal,  means,  The  Crown  of  Edifices,  or  Palaces  — from  Taj,  a 
crown,  and  Mahal,  a palace.  It  is  worthy  of  its  title,  and  is  under 
the  special  care  of  the  English  Government,  and  will  no  doubt  be 
preserved  in  its  present  perfect  and  stainless  condition  for  its  own 
sake,  and  because  it  is  and  must  ever  remain — notwithstanding 
the  sins  and  frailties  of  the  couple  who  beneath  its  dome  await  the 
call’  to  judgment — the  most  perfect  and  beautiful  testimonial  to  the 
virtues  of  a wife  ever  raised  by  an  affectionate  husband. 

Among  the  thousands  of  her  sex  who  have  visited  the  Taj,  and 
felt  its  peculiar  fascination  over  the  susceptible  heart  of  sentiment- 
al women,  Lady  Sleeman  was  not  the  first,  as  she  certainly  will 
not  be  the  last,  to  realize  the  emotion  which  is  recorded  of  her. 
Retiring  from  the  Taj,  lost  in  reflection  and  admiration,  she  was 
asked  by  her  husband  what  she  thought  of  the  Taj  ? Her  prompt 
reply  was,  “ I cannot  tell  you  what  I think,  for  I know  not  how  to 
criticise  such  a building  ; but  I can  tell  you  what  I feel — I would 
die  to-morrow  to  have  such  another  put  over  me  ! ” 

A short  distance  from  the  Taj  we  reach  the  beautiful  tomb  of 
the  Premier  of  the  great  Emperor  Akbar.  This  splendid  pile  of 
white  marble,  delicately  carved  into  fret-work,  its  screens  and  tes- 
sellated enamels  being  very  fine,  is  situated  on  the  right  hand  of 
the  road  as  you  enter  the  city  of  Agra. 

The  tomb  is  not  only  beautiful  in  itself,  and  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting specimens  of  Mogul  architecture  to  be  met  with,  even  in  a city 
so  replete  with  artistic  triumphs  as  was  once  imperial  Agra,  the 
creation  of  the  renowned  Akbar  ; but  there  is  a history  connected 
with  it  so  romantic,  illustrated  by  Sleeman  and  Martin,  that  it  is 
worthy  of  its  high  place  among  the  curiosities  of  Oriental  life. 

This  structure  was  raised  by  the  famous  Noor  Jehan,  in  loving 
remembrance  of  her  father,  Khwaja  Accas,  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent characters  in  the  history  of  India  during  the  reign  of  Akbar. 
The  liberality  and  fame  of  the  greatest  monarch  that  ever  ruled 
India,  and  the  patronage  he  extended  to  men  of  genius  and  worth, 
attracted  to  his  Court  from  Persia  and  the  adjacent  nations  those 


152 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


who  in  his  service  found  wealth  and  honor.  Khwaja  Accas  was  a 
native  of  Western  Tartary.  He  had  some  relations  at  the  Imperial 
Court  of  India  who  encouraged  him  to  join  them,  under  the  expec- 
tation that  they  could  secure  his  advancement  in  life.  He  was  of 
good  ancestry,  but  of  reduced  means,  and  possessed  of  abilities  which 
needed  only  a fair  opportunity  for  development  to  insure  his  suc- 
cess. He  left  Tartary  for  India  at  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, accompanied  by  his  wife  and  children  ; their  only  means. for 
their  journey  having  been  provided  by  the  sale  of  his  little  prop- 
erty. The  incidents  of  their  long  and  weary  emigration  are  given 
with  much  simplicity.  Their  stock  of  money  had  become  ex- 
hausted, and,  in  crossing  the  Great  Desert,  they  were  three  days 
without  food,  and  in  danger  of  perishing.  In  this  fearful  emer- 
gency, the  wife  of  Khwaja  Accas  gave  birth  to  a daughter  ; but, 
worn  out  with  fatigue  and  privation,  the  miserable  parents  con- 
cluded to  abandon  the  poor  infant.  They  covered  it  over  with 
leaves,  and  toward  evening  pursued  their  journey.  One  bullock 
remained  to  them,  and  on  this  the  father  placed  his  wife,  and  tried 
to  support  her  on  their  way,  in  hope  to  reach  the  cultivated  coun- 
try and  find  relief.  They  had  gone  about  a mile,  and  had  just  lost 
sight  of  the  solitary  shrub  under  which  they  had  left  their  child, 
when  Nature  triumphed,  and  the  mother,  in  an  agony  of  grief, 
threw  herself  from  the  bullock  upon  the  ground,  exclaiming,  “ My 
child,  my  child  ! ” Accas  could  not  resist  the  appeal.  He  re- 
turned to  the  spot  which  they  had  left,  took  up  his  infant,  and 
brought  it  to  its  mother’s  breast. 

Shortly  after  a caravan  was  seen  in  the  distance  coming  toward 
them  ; their  circumstances  were  made  known,  and  a wealthy  mer- 
chant too’k  compassion  upon  them,  relieved  their  necessities,  and 
safely  conducted  them  to  their  destination  ; he  even  lent  his  influ- 
ence to  advance  them  in  life  when  they  reached  Lahore,  where  the 
Emperor  Akbar  was  then  holding  his  Court. 

That  little  group  of  fi<ve  persons,  the  father  and  mother,  the  babe 
and  her  two  brothers,  were  destined  to  fill  h place  in  the  page  of 
history  more  influential  than  that  of  any  family  that  ever  emigrated 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  T1IE  DESERT. 


153 


to  India  ; for,  leaving  out  of  view  for  the  present  the  high  positions 
afterward  attained  by  the  father  and  his  sons,  that  babe  of  the 
desert  became,  a few  years  subsequently,  Empress  of  India,  and 
bore  the  famous  title  of  “ Noor  Jehan” — the  Light  of  the  World — 
while  her  brother,  Asuf  Jan,  became  the  father  of  the  equally  cele- 
brated Moomtaj-i-Mahal  — to  whose  memory  her  husband,  Shah 
Jehan,  built  the  matchless  Taj  Mahal — the  noblest  monument  ever 
erected  to  woman. 

Asuf  Khan,  a distant  relative  of  Khwaja  Accas,  held  a high  place 
at  Court,  and  was  much  in  the  confidence  of  the  Emperor.  He 
made  his  kinsman  his  private  secretary.  Pleased  with  his  ability 
and  diligence,  Asuf  soon  brought  his  merits  to  the  special  notice 
of  Akbar,  who  raised  him  to  the  command  of  a thousand  horse,  and 
soon  after  appointed  him  Master  of  the  Imperial  Household.  From 
this  he  was  subsequently  promoted  to  that  of  Etmad-od-Doulah,  or 
High  Treasurer  of  the  Empire,  and  first  minister.  His  legislative 
ability  soon  produced  beneficial  results  in  public  affairs,  while  his 
modest  yet  manly  bearing  conciliated  the  nobility,  who  learned  to 
appreciate  the  value  of  the  control  which  he  exercised  over  the 
ill-regulated  mind  of  the  Emperor. 

His  daughter,  born  in  the  desert,  developed  into  one  of  the  most 
lovely  women  of  the  East,  as  celebrated  for  her  accomplishments 
as  she  was  for  her  beauty,  and  ultimately  she  became  the  wife  of 
the  Prince  Selim,  known  afterward  by  his  title  of  Jehangeer,  by 
whom  she  was  raised  to  the  throne,  and  had  lavished  upon  her 
honors  and  power  never  before  enjoyed  by  the  consort  of  an 
Oriental  potentate,  even  to  the  conjunction  of  her  name  with  that 
of  Jehangeer  on  the  coins  of  the  realm. 

On  the  death  of  her  venerable  and  honored  father  she  erected 
this  tomb  over  his  remains.  The  building,  rising  from  a broad 
platform,  is  of  white  marble,  of  quadrangular  shape,  flanked  by 
octagonal  towers,  which  are  surmounted  by  cupolas  on  a series  of 
open  columns.  From  the  center  of  the  roof  of  the  main  building 
springs  a small  tomb-like  structure,  elaborately  carved  and  deco- 
rated, the  corners  terminating  in  golden  spires.  Immediately 


154 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


below  this,  on  the  floor  of  the  hall,  is  the  tomb  inclosing  the  body 
of  Etmad-od-Doulah.  Interiorly  and  exteriorly  this  fairy  pile  is 
covered,  as  with  beautiful  lace,  by  lattice -work,  delicately  wrought 
in  marble,  covered  with  foliage  and  flowers,  and  intermingled  with 
scrolls  bearing  passages  from  the  Koran.  Every  portion  of  the 
mausoleum  is  thus  enriched,  and  all  that  wealth  could  furnish,  or 
Oriental  art  suggest,  or  genius  execute,  in  the  completion  of  the 
structure,  was  devoted  to  its  adornment.  The  original  idea  in 
the  mind  of  the  Empress,  as  Martin  and  others  relate,  was  to  con- 
struct her  father’s  shrine  of  solid  silver ; and  she  was  only  dis- 
suaded from  this  purpose  by  the  assurance  that  if  marble  was  not 
equally  costly,  it  was  certain  to  be  more  durable,  and  less  likely  to 
attract  the  cupidity  of  future  ages. 

The  photograph  of  this  building,  when  examined  by  a good  glass, 
brings  out  its  singular  loveliness  as  no  mere  engraving  can  present 
it.  Each  slab  of  white  marble  is  wrought  in  rich  tracery  in  the 
most  delicate  manner,  pierced  through  and  through  so  as  to  be  the 
same  when  seen  from  either  side  ; the  pattern  of  each  slab  differs 
from  the  next  one,  and  the  rich  variety,  as  well  as  beauty  of  the 
designs,  fixes  the  attention  of  the  beholder  in  amazement  at  the 
taste  and  patient  skill  that  could  originate  and  execute  this  vision 
of  beauty,  which  seems  like  an  imagination  rising  before  the  fancy, 
and  then,  by  some  wondrous  wand  of  power,  transmuted  into  a solid 
form  forever,  to  be  touched,  and  examined,  and  admired.  Standing 
within  the  shrine,  it  seems  as  though  it  was  covered  with  a rich 
vail,  wrought  in  curious  needle-work,  every  ray  of  light  that  enters 
coming  through  the  various  patterns.  You  approach  and  touch  it, 
and  find  it  is  of  white  marble,  two  inches  in  thickness ! What 
mind  but  that  of  a lady  could  have  suggested  a design  so  unique 
and  feminine  ? 

According  to  the  usages  of  the  Moguls,  a lovely  garden  was 
planted  around  the  fair  shrine,  and  ample  provision  made  for  its 
care  and  preservation  in  the  future.  Rare  and  costly  trees,  fra- 
grant evergreens,  shady  walks,  and  tanks  and  fountains,  all  added 
their  charms  to  set  off  the  central  pile.  A small  mosque  was 


TJIE  nEIWINE  OF  MOORE'S  POEM. 


155 


added,  and  such  religion  as  they  knew  lent  its  influence  to  the 
sacredness  of  the  locality ; while  the  beautiful  birds  of  India,  their 
plumage  bearing 

“ The  rich  hues  of  all  glorious  things,” 

made  the  calm  and  sweet  retreat  more  gorgeous  by  their  presence. 

The  Daughter  of  the  Desert,  forgetting  forever  the  unnatural 
desertion  of  him  whom  she  so  lavishly  honored,  thus  made  a para- 
dise of  the  abode  of  the  dead.  Let  her  have  the  credit  of  whatever 
estimable  qualities  the  great  act  expressed  ; she  needs  this,  and 
every  other  allowance  that  fairly  belongs  to  her  history,  as  some 
offset  to  the  sadder  parts  of  a life  and  character  that,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago,  surprised  all  India  by  its  singularity,  its  mag- 
nificence, and  its  less  worthy  qualities — a fame  that  lingered  in 
their  legends  and  history,  and  which,  after  such  long  interval,  set- 
tled so  fascinatingly  on  the  imagination  of  Tom  Moore,  and  came 
forth  in  his  romance  of  Lalla  Rookh.  But  the  poet  left  out  more 
than  half  the  life  of  his  heroine  ; he  gave  her  loves  and  fascina- 
tions, but  omitted  her  labors,  and  those  brilliant  exploits  which, 
quite  as  much  as  her  beauty,  commended  her  to  the  admiration  of 
Jehangeer  and  his  subjects. 

Looking  at  such  persons,  and  their  brilliant,  yet  abused,  oppor- 
tunities, one  may  well  say,  “ I have  seen  an  end  of  all  perfection.” 
How  transitory,  at  best,  is  the  fame  that  rests  on  such  foundations  ! 
While  we  admire  the  taste,  accomplishments,  and  achievements  of 
this  magnificent  woman,  we  seek  in  vain  for  any  evidence  of  benev- 
olence or  goodness  in  what  she  did.  She  seems  to  have  left  God  and 
humanity  entirely  out  of  her  calculations.  In  all  the  tombs  and  pal- 
aces built  by  her  and  for  her,  personal  glory  and  selfish  ends — for  self 
and  family — alone  appear.  On  these  the  revenues  of  a whole  people 
were  squandered,  and  their  hard  earnings  demanded  to  enable  her 
to  exhibit,  on  this  lavish  scale,  her  magnificent  caprices.  But  no 
hospitals,  or  schools,  or  asylums  for  suffering  humanity,  exist  to 
call  her  blessed,  or  to  hand  down  her  name  as  a pattern  or  pro- 
moter of  purity  and  goodness.  How  much  more  “ honorable  and 
glorious”  is  the  character,  or  the  lot,  of  the  humblest  saint  of  God 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


156 

who  lives  to  do  good  to  her  fellow-creatures ! Her  grave  may  be 
as  lowly  and  lone  as  that  of  Ann  Hazeltine  Judson,  on  the  rock  at 
Amherst,  and  without  a stone  to  mark  it,  as  I saw  it  in  1864 ; but, 
when  Noor  Jehan’s  marble  edifices  have  returned  to  the  dust,  those 
who  have  thus  employed  their  time  and  abilities  to  save  the  per- 
ishing will  be  “ had  in  everlasting  remembrance,”  and  “ shine  as 
the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.” 

Few  men  have  visited  the  East  who  possessed  so  highly  as  did 
Bishop  Heber  the  capacity  to  appreciate  the  taste  and  skill  exhib- 
ited in  the  gorgeous  buildings  of  India.  Truly  and  appropriately 
does  he  exclaim,  while  contemplating  their  wondrous  works, 
“These  Patans  built  like  giants,  and  finished  their  work  like 
jewelers.”  The  highest  illustration  of  this  eulogium  is  found  in 
the  matchless  Taj  Mahal. 

We  present  one  more  evidence  of  their  taste  and  skill  in  the 
wonderful  Kootub  Minar. 

It  has  been  well  observed  that  this  Minar  is,  among  the  towers 
of  the  earth,  what  the  Taj  is  among  the  tombs,  something  unique 
of  its  kind,  that  must  ever  stand  alone  in  the  recollection  of  him 
who  has  gazed  upon  its  beautiful  proportions,  its  chaste  embellish- 
ments, and  exquisite  finish.  About  eleven  miles  south-west  of 
the  modern  city  of  Delhi  stands  the  desolate  site  of  ancient  Delhi. 
This  city  is  supposed  to  have  been  founded  about  57  B.  C.  The 
height  of  prosperity  to  which  it  rose  may  be  imagined  from  its 
only  memorials — the  tombs,  columns,  gateways,  mosques,  and 
masonry,  which  lie  strewn  around  in  silent  and  naked  desolation. 
Where  rose  temple  and  tower  now  resounds  only  the  cry  of  the 
jackal  and  the  wolf ; for  the  voice  of  man  is  silent  there,  and  the 
wanderings  of  the  occasional  tourist  alone  give  any  sign  of  human 
life  or  presence  in  the  once  “glorious  city.”  The  ruins  cover  a 
circle  of  about  twenty  miles  in  extent. 

In  the  midst  and  above  all  this  wild  ruin,  like  a Pharos  to  guide 
the  traveler  over  this  sea  of  desolation,  rises  the  tall,  tapering  cyl- 
inder of  the  Kootub  Minar.  To  archaeologists  like  Cunningham, 
travelers  like  Von  Orlich,  and  learned  observers  like  General  Slec- 


The  Kootub. — From  a Photograph. 


TIIE  KOOTUB  PEERLESS. 


159 


man,  Mr.  Archer,  and  Bholanauth  Chunder,  and  the  pages  of  the 
“Asiatic  Researches,”  we  are  indebted  for  the  best  descriptions  of 
this  wonderful  relic  of  antiquity.  These  authors  have  necessarily 
borrowed  largely  from  each  other  in  representing  this  city  of  the 
dead  and  its  wonderful  and  unequaled  pillar,  the  towering  majesty 
of  which  has  looked  down  for  centuries  only  upon  ruin  and  the 
wild  jungle  which  now  grows  where  once  stood  the  great  center  of 
India’s  glory — its  magnificent  metropolis. 

The  Kootub  forms  the  left  of  two  minars  of  a mosque,  which,  in 
size  and  splendor,  was  to  be  peerless  on  the  earth  as  a place  of 
worship,  and  from  the  character  of  this  single  shaft  it  is  evident 
that,  had  the  design  been  completed,  it  would  have  been  all  that  its 
imperial  founder  intended  in  that  respect.  But  death,  war,  and 
human  vacillation  make  sad  havoc  of  men’s  hopes  and  intentions, 
and  this  great  memorial  stands  in  attestation  of  the  fact. 

For  nearly  a century  a controversy  has  existed  in  India  as  to  the 
architectural  honors  of  the  wonderful  Kootub.  The  Hindoos 
would  fain  claim  that  they  built  it,  and  Bholanauth  Chunder,  on 
their  behalf,  makes  the  best  case  he  can  to  prove  that  the  honor  of 
its  design  and  creation  belongs  to  his  race,  and  not  to  the  hated 
Moslem  ; yet  even  he  has  to  concede  that  the  evidences  of  its 
Mohammedan  origin  are  so  decided  that  the  Hindoos  must  give  up 
the  claim  to  the  glory  of  its  origination.  The  Baboo’s  description 
is  very  vivid,  and  as  he  corrected  the  measurements  of  General 
Sleeman  and  athers,  and  has  made  his  examinations  within  the 
past  five  years,  and  was  also  well  qualified  for  the  task  which 
he  undertook,  we  quote  him  with  confidence  in  the  following 
description : 

“ The  Kootub  outdoes  every  thing  of  its  kind — it  is  rich,  unique, 
venerable,  and  magnificent.  It  ‘ stands  as  it  were  alone  in  India  ; ’ 
rather,  it  should  have  been  said,  alone  in  the  world;  for  it  is  the 
highest  column  that  the  hand  of  man  has  yet  reared,  being,  as  it 
stands  now,  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet  and  one  inch  above 
the  level  of  the  ground.  Once  it  is  said  to  have  been  three  hun- 
dred feet  high,  but  there  is  not  any  very  reliable  authority  for  this 


160  TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 

statement.  In  1794,  however,  it  had  been  actually  measured  to  he 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  eleven  inches  high.  The  Pillar  of 
Pompey  at  Alexandria,  the  Minaret  of  the  Mosque  of  Hassan  at 
Cairo,  and  the  Alexandrine  Column  at  St.  Petersburg,  all  bow  their 
heads  to  the  Kootub. 

“The  base  of  this  Minar  is  a polygon  of  twenty-four  sides,  alto- 
gether measuring  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  feet.  The  shaft  is 
of  a circular  form,  and ’tapers  regularly  from  the  base  to  the  sum- 
mit. It  is  divided  into  five  stories,  round  each  of  which  runs  a 
bold,  projecting  balcony,  supported  upon  large  and  richly-carved 
brackets,  having  balustrades  that  give  to  the  pillar  a most  orna- 
mental effect. 

“ The  exterior  of  the  basement  story  is  fluted  alternately  in 
twenty-seven  angular  and  semicircular  faces.  In  the  second  story 
the  flutings  are  only  semicircular ; in  the  third  they  are  all  angular. 
The  fourth  story  is  circular  and  plain  ; the  fifth  again  has  semicir- 
cular flutings.  The  relative  height  of  the  stories  to  the  diameter 
of  the  base  has  quite  scientific  proportions.  The  first,  or  lower- 
most story,  is  ninety-five  feet  from  the  ground,  or  just  two  diame- 
ters in  height ; the  second  is  fifty-three  feet  farther  up,  the  third 
forty  feet  farther.  The  fourth  story  is  twenty-four  feet  above  the 
third,  and  the  fifth  has  a height  of  twenty-two  feet.  The  whole 
column  is  just  five  diameters  in  height.  Up  to  the  third  story  the 
Minar  is  built  of  fine  red  sandstone.  From  the  third  balcony  to 
the  fifth  the  building  is  composed  chiefly  of  white  Jeypoor  marble. 
The  interior  is  of  the  gray  rose-quartz  stone.  The  ascent  is  by  a 
spiral  staircase  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-six  steps  to  the  bal- 
cony of  the  fifth  story,  and  thence  are  three  more  steps  to  the  top 
of  the  present  stone-work.  Inside  it  is  roomy  enough,  and  full  of 
openings  for  the  admission  of  light  and  air.  The  steps  are  almost 
‘ lady-steps,’  and  the  ascent  is  quite  easy.  The  ferruginous  sand- 
stone has  been  well  selected  to  lend  a rich,  majestic  appearance  to 
the  column.  The  surface  of  that  material  seems  to  have  deepened 
in  reddish  tint  by  exposure  for  ages  to  the  oxygen  of  the  atmos- 
phere. The  white  marble  of  the  upper  stories  sits  like  a tasteful 


ORIGIN  OF  TEE  ROOT  UR 


161 


crown  upon  the  red  stone ; and  the  graceful  bells  sculptured  in  the 
balconies  are  like  a ‘cummerbund’  around  the  waist  of  the  majestic 
tower.  The  lettering  on  the  upper  portions  has  to  be  made  out  by 
using  a telescope.”  The  Kootub  does  not  stand  now  in  all  the 
integrity  of  its  original  structure.  It  was  struck  by  lightning,  and 
had  to  be  repaired  by  the  Emperor  Feroz  Shah  in  1368. 

In  1503  the  Minar  happened  to  be  again  injured,  and  was 
repaired  by  the  orders  of  Secunder  Lodi,  the  reigning  sovereign,  a 
man  of  great  taste  and  a munificent  patron  of  learning  and  the 
arts. 

Three  hundred  years  after  its  reparation  by  Secunder  Lodi,  in  the 
year  1803,  a severe  earthquake  seriously  injured  the  pillar,  and  its 
dangerous  state  having  been  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  British 
Government  on  their  taking  possession  of  the  country,  they  liber- 
ally undertook  its  repair.  These  repairs  were  brought  to  a close  in 
twenty-five  years.  The  old  cupola  of  Feroz  Shah,  or  of  Secunder 
Lodi,  that  was  standing  in  1794,  having  fallen  down,  had  been  sub- 
stituted by  a plain,  octagonal  red-stone  pavilion.  To  men  of  artistic 
taste  this  had  appeared  a very  unfitting  head-piece  for  the  noble 
column,  so  it  was  taken  down  by  the  orders  of  Lord  Hardinge  in 
1847,  and  the  present  stone-work  put  up  in  its  stead.  The  con- 
demned top  now  lies  on  a raised  plot  of  ground  in  front,  as  shown 
resting  on  the  platform  on  the  right-hand  side  in  the  engraving. 

Now,  as  to  the  origin  of  the  Kootub,  a subject  on  which  much 
speculation  has  been  wasted. 

Theories  professing  a Hindoo  origin  are  maintained  by  one  party: 
theories  professing  its  Mohammedan  origin  are  propounded  by  the 
other.  The  Hindoo  party  believes  the  Minar  to  have  been  built  by 
a Hindoo  prince  for  his  daughter,  who  wished  to  worship  the  rising 
sun  and  to  view  the  waters  of  the  Jumna  from  the  top  of  it  every 
morning.  The  Mohammedan  party  repudiates  this  as  an  outrage- 
ous paradox,  and  would  have  the  Kootub  taken  for  the  unmistaka- 
ble Mazinah  of  the  Musjeed-i-Kootub-ul-Islam.  “ No  man  who 
sees  the  Minar  can  mistake  it  for  a moment  to  be  any  other  than 

a thoroughly  Mohammedan  building — Mohammedan  in  design,  and 

9 


1 62 


TEE  LANE  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


Mohammedan  in  its  intents  and  purposes.  The  object  is  at  once 
apparent  to  the  spectator — that  of  a Mazinah  for  the  Muezzin  to 
call  the  faithful  to  prayers.  The  adjoining  mosque,  fully  corre- 
sponding in  design,  proportion,  and  execution  to  the  tower,  bears 
one  out  in’such  a view  of  the  lofty  column,  and  there  is  the  recorded 
testimony  of  Shams-i-raj  and  Abulfeda.  to  place  the  fact  beyond  a 
doubt.” 

In  addition  to  its  structure,  and  the  vast  mosque  near  which  it 
stands,  and  of  which  it  so  manifestly  forms  a part,  we  have  the 
conclusive  fact  that  the  history  of  the  Kootub  is  written  in  its  own 
inscriptions.  None  dares  to  impeach  these  records,  and  the 
Kootub  thus  seems  to  have  been  commenced  in  about  1200  A.  D., 
and  finished  in  1220. 

In  the  “Asiatic  Researches”  (vol.  XIV,  p.  481)  is  given  the  fol- 
lowing translation  of  the  fourth  inscription  upon  the  Minar : “ The 
erection  of  this  building  was  commenced  in  the  glorious  time  of 
the  great  Sultan,  the  mighty  King  of  kings,  the  Master  of  mankind, 
the  Lord  of  the  monarchs  of  Turkestan,  Arabia,  and  Persia,  the 
Sun  of  the  world  and  religion,  of  the  faith  and  of  the  faithful,  the 
Lord  of  safety  and  protection,  the  heir  of  the  kingdoms  of  Suliman 
— Abu  Muzeffa  Altemsh  Nasir  Amin  ul  Momenin.” 

Such  was  the  style  and  title  affected  by  these  high  and  haughty 
sovereigns  of  Oriental  Mohammedanism  when,  reveling  in  pride 
and  power,  like  Nebuchadnezzar,  they  looked  around  at  the  “great 
Babylons”  which  they  had  built.  How  little  they  imagined  with 
what  utter  desolation  their  works  would  be  overthrown,  to  leave 
behind  only  a name  and  a ruin,  and  that  so  nearly  undistinguisha- 
ble  that  men  in  future  ages  could  only  ascertain  the  shadowy  record 
by  making  it  a special  study ! 

For  six  hundred  and  forty-six  years  has  the  gigantic  Kootub 
weathered  the  rude  assaults  of  the  elements,  and  thousands  of 
strangers  from  distant  lands  have  come  to  gaze  upon  the  mighty 
monument  of  a departed  glory  and  a dying  faith.  How  many,  as 
they  have  stood  in  its  shadow,  have  realized  that  there  must  be  an 
adequate  supernatural  cause  to  account  for  all  this  wondrous 


RUIN  AND  DEATH. 


163 


decadence  and  death,  which  so  quietly,  but  effectively,  has  pros- 
trated its  hopes  and  heaped  confusion  upon  its  intentions  (despite 
its  boundless  wealth,  military  power,  and  fierce  religious  fanaticism) 
to  defend  and  diffuse  its  dominating  faith  ! Yet,  after  all,  thus 
it  sinks  and  thus  it  dies  in  its  chosen  homes. 

The  instability  and  the  doom  that  seems  ever  impending  over 
the  institutions  and  structures  raised  by  the  worshipers  of  Allah, 
of  Vishnu,  of  Buddha,  or  the  Virgin  Mary,  come  not  causeless. 
They  are  Heaven’s  maledictions  upon  the  fearful  crime  of  false 
religions,  which,  while  they  defy  God,  degrade  and  dishonor  men — 
cursing  their  conditions  by  poverty,  miserable  homes,  and  wretched 
compensation  for  their  toil ; wasting  their  revenues,  sinking  them 
in  ignorance,  destroying  their  morals,  depriving  them  of  liberty, 
and  ruining  their  souls  ; till  at  length,  when  they  have  filled  up 
their  measure  of  iniquity,  it  turns  the  very  centers  and  cradles  of 
their  faiths  into  the  abodes  of  material  or  moral  ruin,  “ the  hold  of 
every  foul  spirit,  and  a cage  of  every  unclean  and  hateful  bird.” 

Whether,  the  religion  be  utterly  false  or  only  a perversion  of  the 
true,  its  influence  is  equally  pernicious  and  manifest.  He  who 
runs  may  read  this  on  its  very  face  in  India  and  in  Ireland,  in 
Egypt  and  Burmah,  in  Delhi  and  Rome,  in  Benares  and  Mexico  ; 
in  the  Sepoy,  the  Gazee,  and  the  Jesuit ; in  Tamerlane,  Cesare 
Borgia,  and  the  Nana  Sahib  ; in  Cawnpore,  Canton,  and  St.  Bar- 
tholomew. All  equally  evince  the  direful  influence  of  false  religions 
upon  the  conditions  of  men  and  nations. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  holy,  living  faith  of  a divine  Jesus  regen- 
erates the  hearts  and  the  communities  which  yield  themselves  to 
its  influence — confers  freedom,  light,  education,  equal  rights,  tem- 
poral prosperity,  moral  purity,  domestic  joy,  and  every  thing  lovely, 
virtuous,  and  of  good  report — rears  up  the  temples  of  a true  Chris- 
tianity, and,  without  a stain  of  decadence  upon  its  bright  prospects 
of  final  universality,  presents  no  ruins  or  desolations  amid  its  evan- 
gelical conquests  or  their  results. 

Those  once  powerful  religions  and  nations  that  marched  so 
proudly  and  resolutely  to  conquest  and  ascendency  under  their 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


164 

Antichristian  banners,  and  raised  their  vainglorious  monuments  on 
the  sites  of  their  cruel  victories,  and  then  looked  forward  to  such 
perpetuity  of  power  and  glory — where  are  they  now  ? “ How  are 

the  mighty  fallen  ! ” How  fast  they  rushed  on  to  their  inevitable 
ruin,  while  those  behind  are  to-day  sinking  into  the  same  desola- 
tion ! And  why  ? Because  there  were  higher  laws  than  their  own 
which  they  dared  to  violate — an  authority  against  which  they  vainly 
dashed  themselves — a power  which  they  had  the  temerity  to  oppose, 
but  which,  nevertheless,  numbered  their  kingdoms  and  finished 
them,  by  the  terrible  penalties  which  they  had  incurred,  and  the 
fearful  evidences  of  which  are  strewn  around  in  India  and  so  many 
other  localities. 

How  can  these  facts  and  results  be  understood  or  explained  save 
on  the  New  Testament  assumption  that  Jehovah  Christ  has  all 
power  in  heaven  and  on  earth — that  he  has  a dominion  here  which 
he  must  maintain  and  vindicate,  though  earth  and  hell  oppose  him, 
till  his  enemies  are  put  beneath  his  feet,  and  He,  the  blessed  and 
only  Potentate,  shall  stand  at  last,  amid  the  overthrow  of  all  oppo- 
sition, the  Conqueror  of  the  world  ! 

“In  righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make  war”  upon  these 
enemies  of  his  faith.  Before  his  Holy  Word  the  Veda  and  the 
Bana,  the  Koran  and  the  Missal,  must  fall.  Until  that  is  done  he 
will  make  good  his  own  awful  declaration,  that  “ out  of  his  mouth 
goeth  a sharp  sword,  that  with  it  he  should  smite  the  nations  ; and 
he  shall  rule  them  with  a rod  of  iron.  He  treadeth  the  winepress 
of  the  fierceness  and  wrath  of  Almighty  God,  and  he  hath  on  his 
vesture  and  on  his  thigh  a.  name  written,  King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords.” 

The  Kootub  Mosque  stands  deserted  ; snakes  and  lizards  now 
crawl  in  its  ruins,  amid  which  the  Mazinah  yet  stands,  solitary, 
grand,  and  majestic,  as  though  heaven  spurned  the  attempt  to  rear 
up  and  perpetuate  a peerless  sanctuary,  where  Moslem  blasphemy 
against  the  Christ  of  God  might  be  continually  uttered  in  a grand 
center  toward  which  all  Oriental  Islamites  might  turn(j  and  in 
which  they  might  glory.  God  dashed  their  hopes  to  pieces  like  a 


THE  UNFINISHED  MIN  AH.  165 

potter’s  vessel,  and  changed  their  ambition  and  glory  into  a tomb 
and  a ruin. 

The  unfinished  Minar  to  the  right  hand  has  twice  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  Minar  here  shown.  This  column  was  evidently 
intended  for  a second  mazinah,  without  which  a Mohammedan 
mosque  is  essentially  defective. 

The  second  Minar — or  Minaret,  to  use  the  modern  phrase — is 
considerably  larger  in  the  base  than  the  one  shown  in  the  engrav- 
ing. It  stands  at  a proper  distance  from  the  first,  and  was  carried 
up  about  thirty  feet  above  ground,  and  then  discontinued.  Anti- 
quarians have  been  greatly  puzzled  to  account  for  the  variations  from 
the  dimensions  of  the  first  and  finished  one  ; but  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  trouble  the  reader  with  their  theories  or  debates,  as  Slee- 
rnan's  solution  has  been  accepted  as  highly  probable  and  satis- 
factory. 

His  explanation  is,  that  the  unfinished  minaret  was  commenced 
first,  but  upon  too  large  a scale,  and  with  too  small  a diminution 
of  the  circumference  from  the  base  upward.  It  is  two  fifths  larger 
than  the  finished  minaret  in  circumference,  and  much  more  per- 
pendicular. Finding  these  errors,  wdien  the  builders  had  gone  up 
with  it  thirty  feet  from  the  ground,  the  royal  founder  began  the 
work  anew,  and  on  qualified  and  corrected  dimensions,  and  this  is 
the  finished  one  before  the  reader.  Had  he  lived  he  would  no 
doubt  have  carried  up  the  second  minaret  in  its  proper  place  on 
the  same  scale,  and  so  completed  his  mosque ; but  his  death  occur- 
ring, and  being  followed  by  fearful  revolutions — so  that  five  sover- 
eigns sat  upon  the  throne  of  Delhi  in  the  succeeding  ten  years — 
works  of  peace  were  suspended  in  the  presence  of  war,  while  the 
succeeding  monarchs  sought  renown  in  military  enterprises,  and 
thus  the  building  of  the  second  minaret  was  never  proceeded 
with. 

The  great  mosque  itself,  with  that  exception,  seems  to  have  been 
completed.  Nearly  all  the  arches  are  still  standing  in  a more  or 
less  perfect  state.  They  correspond  with  the  magnificent  minaret 
in  design,  proportion,  and  execution,  it  evidently  having  been  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


1 66 

intention  of  the  founder  to  make  them  all  sustain  and  illustrate  the 
matchless  grandeur  of  the  finished  work.  It  was  in  this  condition 
when  Tamerlane  invaded  India  A.  D.  1398.  That  “firebrand  of 
the  universe,”  as  he  was  called,  was  so  enchanted  with  the  great 
mosque  and  its  minar  that  he  had  a model  of  it  made,  which  he 
took  back  with  him,  along  with  all  the  masons  that  he  could  find 
in  Delhi,  and  it  is  said  that  he  erected  a mosque  exactly  upon  this 
plan  at  his  capital  of  Samarcund,  before  he  again  left  it  for  the 
invasion  of  Syria. 

The  west  face  of  the  quadrangle,  in  which  the  minar  stands,  was 
formed  by  eleven  large  alcoves,  the  center  and  greatest  of  which 
contained  the  pulpit. 

The  court  to  the  eastward  is  inclosed  by  a high  wall,  bordered 
by  arcades  formed  of  pillars  carved  in  the  highest  style  of  Hindoo 
art.  Those  on  the  opposite  side  are  dissimilar,  and  the  fair  infer- 
ence is,  that  the  Moslem  monarch  built  his  mosque,  in  part,  by 
materials  taken  from  the  great  Hindoo  temples,  which  he  must 
have  desecrated  for  the  purpose.  This  was  after  their  fashion,  and 
laid  the  foundation  for  those  bitter  feuds  and  hatreds  of  the  one 
people  against  the  other,  which  have  lasted  to  this  dajP. 

Close  to  the  minar  are  the  remains  of  one  of  those  superb  port- 
als, so  general  in  the  great  works  of  the  Patans.  The  archway  of 
this  gate  is  sixty  feet  high,  and  the  ornaments  with  which  it  is 
embellished  are  cut  with  the  delicacy  of  a seal  engraving,  retaining, 
after  the  lapse  of  six  hundred  years,  their  sharp,  clear  outlines. 

Few  who  visit  the  Kootub,  if  they  have  strength  for  the  toilsome  • 
ascent,  fail  to  go  to  the  summit,  and  well  does  it  repay  the  effort.  It 
is  sublime  to  look  up  to  the  unclouded  heavens,  to  which  you  seem 
so  near,  while  beneath  and  beyond,  the  eye  wanders  over  not 
merely  the  city  beneath,  but  across  to  modern  Delhi,  with  its 
white  and  glittering  mosques  and  palaces,  the  silvery  Jumna 
gently  pouring  along,  the  feudal  towers  of  Selimghur,  and  the 
mausoleums  of  Humayun  and  Suffer  Jung,  all  in  the  soft  light  of 
the  India  sunset  ; but  what  must  that  view  have  been  when  impe- 
rial splendors,  and  cultivation  like  earthly  paradises,  or  “ the  gar- 


TIIE  IRON  PILLAR. 


167 

dens  of  God,”  combined  all  their  wealth  of  beauty  beneath  its 
shadow,  and  then  away  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  on  every 
side ! 

The  writer  visited  the  Kootub,  on  the  last  occasion,  in  1864,  in 
company  with  Bishop  Thomson.  The  Bishop’s  description  may 
be  found  in  his  Oriental  Missions,”  Vol.  I,  p.  65.  He  justly  calls 
the  Minar  “ the  grandest  column  of  the  world.”  It  is  so.  Except 
the  tower  of  Babel,  probably  nothing  ever  erected  by  human 
hands  has  produced  the  same  effect,  as  one  stands  awe-struck  at 
its  base  and  gazes  up  upon  its  majestic  form  towering  to  the 
skies. 

It  has  not  been  without  its  tragic  incidents.  General  Slceman, 
writing  in  1844,  tells  us  that  five  years  previously,  “while  the 
Emperor  was  on  a visit  to  the  tomb  of  Kootub-ad-deen,  an  insane 
man  got  into  his  private  apartment.  The  servants  were  ordered 
to  turn  him  out.  On  passing  the  Minar  he  ran  in,  ascended  to 
the  top,  stood  a few  moments  on  the  verge,  laughing  at  those  who 
were  running  after  him,  and  made  a spring  that  enabled  him  to 
reach  the  bottom  without  touching  the  sides.  An  eye-witness  told 
me  that  he  kept  his  erect  position  till  about  half-way  down,  when 
he  turned  over,  and  continued  to  turn  till  he  got  to  the  bottom, 
where  his  fall  made  a report  like  a gun.  l ie  was,  of  course,  dashed 
to  pieces.” 

Close  to  the  Kootub  stands  the  famous  Iron  Pillar — the  palla- 
dium of  Hindoo  dominion — and  which,  there  is  evidence  for  believ- 
ing, has  stood  there  for  fifteen  hundred  years. 

The  Iron  Pillar  is  a solid  shaft  of  mixed  metal  resembling  bronze, 
upward  of  sixteen  inches  in  diameter  and  about  sixty  feet  in  length. 
The  greater  part  of  it  is  under-ground,  and  that  which  is  above  is 
less  than  thirty  feet  high.  The  ground  about  it  has  marks  of  exca- 
vation, said  to  have  been  carried  down  to  twenty-six  feet  without 
reaching  the  foundation  on  which  the  pillar  rests,  and  without 
loosening  it  in  any  degree.  The  pillar  contains  about  eighty  cubic 
feet  of  metal,  and  would  probably  weigh  upward  of  seventeen  tons. 

The  Iron  Pillar,  standing  nearly  in  the  middle  of  a grand  square, 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


1 68 

“ records  its  own  history  in  a deeply-cut  Sanscrit  inscription  of  six 
lines  on  its  western  face.”  Antiquaries  have  read  the  characters, 
and  the  pillar  has  been  made  out  to  be  “ the  arm  of  fame — Kirt- 
ibhuja — of  Rajah  Dhava.”  He  is  stated  to  have  been  a worshiper 
of  Vishnu,  and  a monarch  who  “ had  obtained  with  his  own  arm  an 
undivided  sovereignty  on  the  earth  for  a long  period.”  The  letters 
upon  the  triumphal  pillar  are  called  “ the  typical  cuts  inflicted 
on  his  enemies  by  his  sword,  writing  his  immortal  fame.”  “ It  is  a 
pity  that  posterity  can  know  nothing  more  of  this  mighty  Rajah 
Dhava  than  what  is  recorded  in  the  meager  inscription  upon  this 
wonderful  relic  of  antiquity.  The  characters  of  the  inscription  are 
thought  to  be  the  same  as  those  of  the  Gupta  inscriptions,  and  the 
success  alluded  to  therein  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  assistance 
which  that  Rajah  had  rendered  in  the  downfall  of  the  powerful 
sovereigns  of  the  Gupta  dynasty.  The  age  in  which  he  flourished 
is,  therefore,  concluded  to  have  been  about  the  year  319  A.  D.,  the 
initial  point  of  the  Balabhi  or  Gupta  era.” 

Antiquarians  have  tried  very  earnestly  to  solve  the  mystery  of 
this  metallic  monument.  The  most  probable  conclusion  is,  that  it 
marked  the  center  of  the  great  Rajah’s  city,  and  stood  in  a splen- 
did temple.  But  on  the  invasion  and  conquest  of  Delhi  by  the 
Mohammedan  power  the  Emperor  chose  that  center  for  his  own 
purposes,  and  threw  his  great  mosque  across  the  very  site- of  that 
temple,  taking  its  marble  columns  for  his  colonnades,  permitting 
the  Iron  Pillar  to  remain,  but  erecting  the  Minar  near  it,  forever  to 
dwarf  its  proportions  and  interest.  But  all  are  alike  in  ruin  now — 
their  rage,  contention,  and  emulation  in  the  dust,  while  the  Pillar 
and  the  Minar  alone  remain. 

How  little  did  either  the  proud  Rajah  or  the  fierce  Emperor 
anticipate  what  a wreck  the  Ruler  of  heaven  and  earth  would  make 
of  their  hopes,  and  that  where  they  built  and  embellished,  and  set 
forth  their  glory,  would  yet  be  as  naked  as  ruin  itself,  and  that  the 
wild  beasts  of  the  forest  would  howl  in  their  desolate  palaces ! 

That  desolation  is  the  more  marked,  when  we  remember  that 
very  probably,  after  all  these  high  anticipations,  carried  out  so  des- 


HEAVEN'S  CONFUSION  ON  THE  INTENTION.  169 

potically,  and  with  the  lavish  expenditure  of  such  untold  millions, 
this  mosque  and  minar  may  never  have  answered,  even  in  a single 
instance,  the  purposes  for  which  they  were  so  proudly  intended. 
According  to  their  customs  and  rules,  the  mosque  would  probably 
not  be  used  till  completed.  The  second  minar,  being  unfinished, 
would  very  likely  prevent  the  dedication  ; so  that  ere  another  hand 
could  consummate  the  great  design,  the  death  of  the  founder,  the 
long  and  fierce  wars  that  followed,  and  finally  the  imperial  fickle- 
ness which  chose  the  banks  of  the  Jumna,  eleven  miles  away,  as 
the  site  of  new  Delhi,  leading  to  the  utter  forsaking  of  the  grand 
old  city,  with  all  its  monuments,  temples,  mosques,  and  palaces,  con- 
signed the  Kootub  forever  to  desolation,  and  after  all  left  it,  very 
likely,  a mosque  where  no  prayer  was  ever  offered,  and  a minaret 
from  whose  lofty  summit  no  muezzin’s  voice  ever  called  the  sons 
of  the  Koran  to  their  vain  devotions. 

Though  fifteen  hundred  years  have  gone  over  it,  the  Iron  Pillar 
shows  no  sign  of  decay  ; it  is  smooth  and  clean.  The  metal  of 
which  it  is  composed  was  so  fused  and  amalgamated  that  it  defies 
all  oxidation,  while  the  characters  engraven  upon  it  remain  to-day 
clear  and  distinct  as  when  they  were  first  cut  by  the  hand  of  the 
engraver. 

The  great  antiquity,  the  enormous  size,  and  the  interesting 
inscriptions  upon  the  pillar  of  Rajah  Dhava  have  led  to  great  rev- 
erence toward  it  by  all  Hindoos,  and  legends  are  not  wanting  to 
account  for  its  origin  and  position.  One  tradition  is,  that  it  is  the 
veritable  club  that  great  Bheema  wielded  in  the  battles  of  the  Mah- 
abharata,  and  which  was  left  standing  there  by  the  Pandus  after 
their  contest.  But  the  more  popular  story  is,  that  it  is  a pillar  so 
long  that  it  pierced  the  entire  depth  of  the  earth,  till  it  rested  on 
the  head  of  the  gigantic  snake  called  Vasuki,  who  supports  the  world 
— that  its  stability  was  the  palladium  of  Hindoo  dominion  in  India. 

Such  were  some  of  the  magnificent  and  unique  surroundings  of 
the  Mogul  Court  in  1856;  and  all  this,  with  much  more  that 
might  be  mentioned,  they  were  then  about  to  risk  the  possession 
of  in  a fearful  struggle  with  the  white-faced  race. 


170 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ORIGINATING  CAUSES  OF  THE  SEPOY  REBELLION. 

7HILE  moving  amid  the  gorgeous  scenes  of  the  previous 
^ ' chapter,  we  were  happily  unconscious  of  the  circumstances 
of  danger  by  which  we  were  surrounded,  and  which  could  so  easily 
have  victimized  us  all.  We  knew  not  then  of  that  peculiar  combi- 
nation and  concurrence  of  favoring  circumstances  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  purposes  which  are  now  well  understood  and 
can  be  explained,  and  a knowledge  of  which  is  essential  to  those 
who  would  comprehend  the  great  Sepoy  Rebellion.  We  will  now 
state  them,  and,  in  doing  this,  will  show  how  it  was  possible  for 
such  a rebellion  to  be  then  originated  and  carried  out. 

i.  The  first  and  most  important  fact  was  the  position  of  the 
Emperor  of  Delhi — he  in  whose  name  and  for  whose  interests  it 
was  inaugurated.  We  have  already  noticed  the  circumstances 
under  which  the  alien  power  of  the  Mogul  entered  India,  and  at 
last  came  to  rule  from  Calcutta  to  Cabul.  With  the  sense  of 
cruelty,  injustice,  and  wrong  that  rankled  in  the  hearts  of  the  Hin- 
doos against  these  foreigners,  no  length  of  time  had  ever  reconciled 
them  to  their  presence  in  their  country.  Thus,  the  last  thing  we 
could  have  imagined  possible  in  1857  was,  that  these  two  peoples 
could  find  a common  ground  of  agreement  on  which  they  could 
stand  together  ; and  that  expectation  was  the  confidence  of  English- 
men in  India.  They  leaned  with  confidence  upon  the  Hindoos, 
whom  they  had  elevated  from  the  rule  of  Mohammedan  injustice, 
believing  that  so  long  as  they  were  content  and  satisfied  the 
English  empire  was  safe,  no  matter  how  the  Mohammedans  might 
rage.  So  they  thought,  and  did  not  even  dream  that  these  ancient 
and  inveterate  foes  were  finding  a ground  of  agreement,  and  were  wide 


TEE  ENGLISH  BARGAIN  WITH  TI1E  MOGUL.  171 

awake,  plotting  the  terrible  arrangements  that  were  so  soon  to  burst 
in  fire  and  bloodshed  over  the  land. 

In  the  East,  where  there  arc  no  constitutions  or  popular  gov- 
ernments, personal  influence  in  a sovereign  is  every  thing ; the 
despotic  powers  have  only  their  individual  adaptation  and  prestige 
to  depend  upon  to  commend  their  rule.  It  is  a maxim  with  them, 
that  “a  king  who  has  no  eyes  in  his  head  is  useless.”  In  refer- 
ence to  the  poor,  old,  mutilated  Emperor  of  Delhi,  (grandfather  of 
the  one  whose  portrait  is  herein  given,)  it  had  much  more  than  a 
metaphorical  meaning.  Its  literal  truth  led  to  that  state  of  general 
conviction  of  Mogul  imbecility,  and  the  necessity  of  having  the 
paramount  power  of  India  in  hands  able  to  maintain  its  peace,  and 
which  would  at  the  same  time  respect  the  rights  of  the  falling 
dynasty,  and  all  others  concerned,  which  led  soon  after  to  the  con- 
summation of  that  Treaty  between  the  Emperor  and  the  English 
Government,  in  which  his  Imperial  Majesty  consented  to  surrender 
to  them  his  authority  and  power  (a  poor  show  it  then  was)  for  certain 
considerations.  That  is,  he  agreed  that  the  British  were  to  assume 
the  government  of  the  country,  and  rule  in  his  name,  on  condition 
that  they  would  guarantee  to  himself  and  his  successors  forever  the 
following  compensations : 

(1.)  He  was  to  be  recognized  as  titular  Emperor.  His  title  was 
sounding  enough  to  become  a higher  condition.  How  absurd  it 
seems,  when  we  quote  its  translation  in  full : “ The  Sun  of  the 
Eaith,  Lord  of  trie  World,  Master  of  the  Universe  and  of  the  Hon- 
orable East  India  Company,  King  of  India  and  of  the  Infidels,  the 
Superior  of  the  Governor-General,  and  Proprietor  of  the  Soil  from 
Sea  to  Sea!”  This  is  surely  enough  for  any  mortal,  especially 
when  it  is  connected  with  a safe  salary  nearly  as  large  as  itself! 

(2.)  He  was  still  to  be  the  fountain  of  honor,  so  that  all  the  sun- 
nuds  (patents)  of  nobility,  constituting  Rajahs,  Nawabs,  etc.,  were 
to  be  made  out  in  his  name,  and  sealed  with  his  signet. 

(3.)  An  embassador  of  England  was  to  reside  at  his  Court,  to 
be  the  official  organ  of  communication  between  himself  and  the 
English  Government. 


172 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


(4.)  He  was  to  retain  his  royal  residences,  the  one  in  Delhi 
being  regularly  fortified,  and  occupying  probably  one  fourth  of  the 
area  of  the  city.  And, 

(5.)  His  imperial  revenue  was  to  be  made  sure,  and  punctually 
paid  from  the  British  Treasury. 

He  was  asked  how  much  that  revenue  must  be  ? He  replied, 
“Thirteen  and  a half  lakhs  of  rupees  annually” — $675,000  per 
annum.  And  as  matters  go  in  the  East,  where  kings  are  supposed 
to  own  the  soil,  and  can  levy  their  own  jumma  (tax)  upon  every 
cultivated  acre  of  it,  this  was  not  considered  an  unreasonable  or 
unusual  demand. 

The  terms  were  accepted,  and  the  British  moved  their  authority 
west  of  the  Kurrumnasa,  assumed  the  civil,  political,  and  military 
control  of  Hindustan  proper,  and  the  Mogul  Emperor  resigned  the 
heavy  cares  of  State  and  went  to  house-keeping  on  his  $675,000 
per  year.  He  assuredly  might  think  that  he  had  made  a good 
bargain  for  himself  and  his  family  with  his  commercial  patrons,  the 
East  India  Company,  while  the  whole  resources  of  Great  Britain 
were  pledged  to  every  item  of  the  engagement — and  he  certainly 
might  have  done  tolerably  well  under  the  circumstances.  But  one 
thing  stood  in  the  way.  He  and  his  outraged  the  laws  of  Heaven ; 
the  result  was  a ruin  which  in  its  completeness  has  had  hardly  a 
parallel  in  the  history  of  any  earthly  dynasty. 

With  idleness  and  fullness  of  bread  came  mischief  and  vileness 
for  three  generations,  increasing  in  their  terrible  tendencies,  as  the 
sins  of  the  fathers  were  shared  by,  and  visited  upon,  their  children, 
until  hideous  ruin  engulphed  the  whole  concern,  and  left  not  a 
wreck  behind. 

To  the  American  reader  it  must  seem  amazing  to  state  that  the 
$675,000  per  annum  proved  utterly  insufficient  to  enable  the  last 
Emperor  to  live  and  keep  out  of  debt ; yet  so  it  was.  He  really 
could  not  “make  ends  meet”  from  year  to  year  on  this  splendid 
allowance,  paid  to  the  day,  and  paid  in  gold.  But  the  explanation 
is  at  hand. 

Had  the  duality  of  the  marriage  relation  been  recognized  at  the 


173 


WHY  THE  MUNIFICENT  PROVISION  FAILED. 

Court  of  Delhi,  it  is  very  probable  that  it  might  have  escaped  the 
guilt  and  misery  which  hastened  its  destruction.  Men  in  high  or 
low  station  cannot  violate  the  laws  of  God,  even  when  their  creed 
sanctions  that  violation,  without  incurring  the  penalty  which  is 
sure  to  come,  sooner  or  later.  Of  this  truth  there  never  was  a 
more  marked  example  than  was  exhibited  within  these  high  and 
bastioned  walls.  The  three  generations  during  which  this  wrath 
was  “ treasuring  up”  its  force  but  made  it  more  overwhelming  when 
its  overthrow  of  desolation  came.  It  was  expressly  stipulated  in 
the  treaty  that  the  munificent  provision  made  for  the  Emperor 
was  to  cover  all  claims.  Out  of  the  $675,000  per  annum  he  was 
required  to  support  the  retinue  of  relations  and  dependents  col- 
lected within  the  walls  of  the  imperial  residence.  But  fifty  years 
of  idleness,  and  the  license  of  a sensual  creed,  which  permitted 
unlimited  polygamy,  made  that  which  would  have  been  easy  to 
virtue  impossible  to  vice. 

The  Eden  of  God  had  but  one  Eve  in  it,  and  she  reigned  as 
queen  in  the  pure  affections  of  the  happy  and  noble  man  for  whom 
God  had  made  her.  Within  the  walls  of  that  Delhi  palace  Shah 
Jehan  could  inscribe  the  words, 

“If  there  be  a paradise  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 

It  is  this — it  is  this — it  is  this  ! ” 

For  he  loved  one  only,  and  was  faithful  to  her,  and  has  enshrined 
her  memory  while  the  world  stands  in  the  matchless  Taj  Mahal. 
Few,  if  any,  of  his  race  imitated  his  virtue  in  this  regard  ; and  least 
of  all  his  last  descendants.  Fifteen  years  ago  the  Delhi  “para- 
dise” had  become  changed  into  a very  pandemonium.  Here  were 
crowded  together  twelve  hundred  kings  and  queens — for  all  the 
descendants  of  the  Emperors  assumed  the  title  of  “Sulateens” — 
with  ten  times  as  many  persons  to  wait  upon  them,  so  that  the 
population  of  the  palaces  were  actually  estimated  at  twelve  thou- 
sand persons.  Glorying  in  their  “royal  blood,”  they  held  them- 
selves superior  to  all  efforts  to  earn  their  living  by  honest  labor, 
and  fastened,  like  so  many  parasites,  upon  the  old  Emperor’s 
yearly  allowance.  “ But  what  was  that  among  so  many,”  and  they 


174 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


so  constantly  on  the  increase  ? So  here  the  “kings”  and  “queens” 
of  the  house  of  Timour  were  found  lying  about  in  scores,  like  broods 
of  vermin,  without  sufficient  food  to  eat,  or  decent  clothing  to  wear, 
and  literally  eating  up  each  other.  Yet,  notwithstanding,  their 
insolence  and  pride  were  exactly  equal  to  their  poverty ; so  that 
one  of  these  kings,  who  had  not  more  than  fifty  shillings  per  month 
for  his  share  wherewith  to  subsist  himself  and  his  family,  in  writing 
to  the  Representative  of  the  British  Government  at  the  Court, 
would  address  him  as  “ Fidwee  Khass,”  our  particular  slave ; and 
would  expect  to  be  addressed  in  reply  with,  “Your  Majesty’s  com- 
mands have  been  received  by  your  slave!” 

Living  in  royalty  on  twenty-five  dollars  per  month,  or  less,  each 
of  these  worthies,  on  choosing  a wife,  or  adding  another  to  those 
he  had  before,  would  feel  it  necessary,  for  his  rank's  sake,  to  settle 
upon  her  a dowry  of  five  lakhs  of  rupees;  (two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,)  while  actually  the  royal  scamp  did  not  own  fifty 
dollars  in  the  world.  His  only  accomplishment  or  occupation  was 
playing  on  the  “ Sitar,”  and  singing  the  King’s  verses,  for  this  king 
was  ambitious  of  a poet’s  title,  and  they  flattered  the  old  gentle- 
man’s whim.  Did  the  world  ever  witness  such  a farce ! 

Perhaps  at  the  time  I first  saw  the  palace  of  Delhi,  with  this 
state  of  things  then  in  full  operation,  the  eye  of  God  did  not  look 
down  upon  a mass  of  humanity  more  dissatisfied,  more  vile,  more 
proud,  and  more  mean,  than  the  crowd  of  hungry  Shazadahs  who 
pressed  against  each  other  for  subsistence  within  the  walls  of  that 
fortification.  All  being  royal  blood,  of  course  they  could  not  soil 
their  hands  to  gain  an  honest  living ; every  man  and  woman  of 
them  must  be  suppoited  out  of  the  imperial  allowance. 

It  was  a simple  impossibility  for  the  English  Government  to 
meet  the  necessities  of  this  case,  or  satisfy  the  demands  of  this 
greedy,  hungry,  and  rapidly  increasing  crew.  Twice  had  the 
Emperor’s  appeal  been  yielded  to,  and  the  grant  increased  from 
thirteen  and  a half,  to  eighteen  lakhs,  so  that  in  1857  they  were 
receiving  $900,000  per  annum  ; but  the  limit  had  been  reached  at 
last.  The  English  would  neither  pay  the  debts  which  they  con- 


THE  PAGEANT  FELT  TO  BE  A BORE.  1 75 

tracted  nor  increase  the  yearly  allowance.  The  country  would  not 
endure  it. 

The  humiliating  ceremonies,  so  tenaciously  required  by  the 
Emperor  on  receiving  any  member  of  the  English  Government, 
had  become  increasingly  irksome  and  annoying  as  time  rolled  on 
and  this  condition  of  things  developed,  until  it  began  to  be  felt  that 
the  Great  Mogul  pageant  was  a bore.  Lord  Amherst,  a former 
Governor-General,  at  length  refused  to  visit  the  Emperor  if  ex- 
pected, according  to  Delhi  court  etiquette,  to  do  so  with  bare  feet, 
bowed  head,  and  joined  hands.  He  declared  he  would  only  visit 
him  on  terms  of  honorable  equality,  and  not  as  an  inferior.  Both 
he  and  Lord  Bentinck  refused  any  longer  to  stand  in  “ the  Pres- 
ence,” but  demanded  a State  chair  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Em- 
peror, and  to  be  received  as  an  equal.  This  shocked  the  Emperor’s 
feelings,  but  he  had  to  give  in.  Then  came  the  suspension  of  the 
“ Nuzzer” — the  yearly  present — a symbol  of  allegiance  or  confession 
of  suzerainty.  The  value  was  not  withheld,  but  added  to  the 
yearly  allowance ; but  the  Emperor  refused  to  accept  it  in  this 
form. 

In  1849,  on  the  death  of  the  heir  apparent,  Lord  Dalhousie, 
then  Governor-General,  opened  negotiations  designed  to  abolish 
this  pageant  of  the  Great  Mogul,  and  offered  terms  to  the  next  heir 
to  abdicate  the  throne,  vacate  the  Delhi  Palace,  and  sink  their 
high  titles,  retiring  to  the  Kootub  Palace  and  a private  position,  so 
that  the  large  family  might  be  placed  under  proper  restrictions 
and  required  to  obtain  education,  and  fit  themselves  for  stations 
where  they  could  earn  their  living.  But  the  merciful  and  wise  pro- 
posal was  misapprehended  by  them  : instead  of  appreciating  it,  it 
thoroughly  alarmed  them.  They  chose  to  consider  that  their  very 
existence  was  attacked.  They  would  rather  continue  to  fester  and 
starve  together  within  those  walls  than  to  separate  and  rouse  them- 
selves to  action  and  honest  employment ; so  they  began  to  talk 
louder  than  ever  about  their  “ wrongs,”  and  the  “ insults  ” offered 
them  by  the  English  Government,  prominent  among  which  was 
the  refusal  any  longer  to  give  to  each  of  these  princes,  whenever 


176 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


he  chose  to  show  his  face  in  public,  the  royal  salute  of  his  “ rank.” 
But  the  English  had  deliberately  come  to  the  conclusion  that  this 
was  a foolish  and  ridiculous  waste  of  the  national  powder,  and 
ought  to  cease  forever. 

Thus  the  Court  — Emperor  Begums,  Sultans  and  Sultanas, 
Shazadas,  Eunuchs,  and  followers,  all  in  a ferment  of  dissension 
and  hatred  of  English  rule — became  a center  to  which  all  disaf- 
fected elements  naturally  tended. 

These  men  became  the  life  and  soul  of  the  great  conspiracy  for 
the  overthrow  of  the  English  power  and  the  expulsion  of  Chris- 
tianity from  India,  and  for  the  elevation  once  more  of  Moham- 
medan supremacy  over  the  Hindoo  nations.  Yielding  to  their 
influence,  and  that  of  the  Sepoys,  as  will  be  narrated  in  our  next 
chapter,  the  old  Emperor  committed  himself  fully,  without  count- 
ing the  cost,  to  the  fearful  struggle. 

The  reader  can  well  understand  what  an  “ elephant  ” the  En- 
glish Government  had  here  on  its  hands,  and  in  what  perplexity 
they  were  as  to  what  they  should  do  with  it. 

This  “ high-born  ” population  thus  pressed  for  the  means  of  sub- 
sistence within  these*  walls,  instead  of  being  required  to  shift  for 
themselves  and  quietly  sink  among  the  crowd  without.  When  the 
writer  reached  India,  in  1856,  this  state  of  things  was  ripening  to 
its  natural  consummation.  The  different  members  of  the  Em- 
peror’s great  family  circle  were  fast  becoming  rallying  points  for 
the  dissatisfied  and  disaffected.  Let  loose  upon  the  community, 
they  were  every-where  disgusting  people  by  their  insolence  and 
knavery,  so  that  the  English  magistrates  in  Delhi  had  to  stand 
between  them  and  their  victims.  The  prestige  of  their  names  was 
fast  diminishing,  and  they  were  falling  into  utter  insignificance 
and  contempt.  This  was  true  even  of  the  highest  of  them.  It 
was  these  “idle  hands”  that  Satan  employed  to  do  much  of  the 
“ mischief”  wrought  during  the  fearful  rebellion  of  1857 — an  event 
which  consummated  their  own  ruin,  and  sent  scores  of  them  to  the 
gallows. 

In  the  “ good  old  days  ” of  their  rule  they  had  their  own  way  of 


MOSLEM  RATE  OF  CHRIST  AND  CHRISTIANS.  I 77 

relieving  any  financial  pressure,  as  soon  as  it  was  felt,  by  “ loans 
which  were  never  paid,  or  by  exactions  from  which  there  was  no 
appeal  or  escape.  But  in  1857  it  was  no  longer  possible  to  prac- 
tice in  this  way.  The  palace  people  had  to  let  other  men’s  money 
alone,  and  were  required  to  live  within  their  means,  and  those  who 
trusted  them  had  now  to  do  so  on  their  own  responsibility.  The 
Government  of  England  refused  to  pay  a dollar  of  their  debts  or 
grant  any  further  increase  to  their  allowance.  How  they  raged 
over  this  resolve ! Exhortations  to  do  something,  or  fit  them- 
selves for  positions  which  would  support  them,  were  all  thrown 
away  upon  them,  or,  worse,  they  held  the  advice  to  be  an  insult. 
They  were  royal,  and  could  not  think  of  work  ; so  they  raged 
asrainst  the  Government  that  stood  between  them  and  those  whom 
they  used  to  victimize,  and  sighed  for  the  days  when  they  could 
have  relieved  their  necessities  at  the  expense  of  other  men.  It 
need  not  be  wondered  at  that  such  people  hated  English  rule, 
and  resolved  that,  if  ever  the  opportunity  came  within  their  reach, 
they  would  be  revenged  upon  the  race  who  compelled  them  to  be 
honest. 

Just  in  proportion  to  this  impotent  rage,  erf  which  the  Govern- 
ment was  well  aware,  most  of  the  Hindoo  princes  around  were 
exultant  to  think  that  the  Great  Mogul  had  found  a master  at  last 
— that  there  was  a strong  hand  on  the  bridle  in  his  jaws,  to  hold 
him  back  from  trampling  on  the  rights  of  other  people.  The 
Shroffs  (native  Bankers)  and  moneyed  men  in  the  bazaars  were  in 
high  glee,  knowing  that  the  rupees  in  their  coffers  were  all  safe 
under  the  protection  of  England’s  power,  and  that  none  could 
make  them  afraid. 

To  all  this,  if  you  add  the  religious  hate,  you  have  the  entire 
case  of  the  Delhi  Court.  How  these  men  raged  as  they  remem- 
bered that  their  Crescent  had  gone  down  before  the  hated  Cross  ; 
that  where  they  had  ruled  and  tyrannized  for  seven  hundred  years 
Christianity  was  now  triumphant.  They  detest  England  : they 
will  always  do  so : not  because  of  her  nationality,  but  for  her  faith. 

They  would  hate  Americans  all  the  same  if  we  were  there.  To 

10 


i;8 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Christianity  they  are  irreconcilably  antagonistic.  They  detest  the 
doctrine  of  a divine  Christ,  and  his  followers  have  to  share  his 
odium  at  their  hands.  Alas,  it  is  simple  truth  to  say,  that  if  the 
Lord  Jesus  were  to  come  down  from  heaven  to-day,  and  put  him- 
self in  their  power,  they  would  as  assuredly  crucify  him  afresh  in 
the  streets  of  Delhi  for  saying  he  was  “ the  Son  of  God,”  as  did 
the  Jews  in  Jerusalem  eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  You  have 
only  to  read  their  “ Sacred  Kulma  ” to  be  assured  of  this  spirit, 
and  understand  their  rage  against  him  ; while  their  fearful  deeds  in 
1857-8  upon  his  followers  were  a commentary  on  the  Kulma,  writ- 
ten with  Christian  blood  ; a record  over  which  they  gloat,  and  in 
the  extent  of  which  they  still  glory.  Sad  and  abundant  evidence 
of  this  fact  is  to  follow  in  these  pages  ; yet  all  this  hatred  and 
determination  would  have  been  utterly  powerless  had  it  stood 
alone — had  the  Hindoos  not  so  strangely  and  unexpectedly  united 
themselves  with  it. 

2.  This  leads  us  to  the  consideration  of  the  peculiar  fact  which, 
for  once,  brought  the  Moslem  and  Hindoo  elements  of  the  country 
into  union  and  a common  interest. 

Lord  Lake,  the  English  General,  had  defeated  the  Mahratta 
chief,  Bajee  Rao,  whose  title,  the  Peishwa,  was  derived  from  a 
Brahmin  dynasty  founded  at  Poonah  by  Belajee  Wiswanath. 
This  title  formerly  meant  Prime  Minister,  but  its  holders  rose 
from  that  position  to  sovereign  authority  by  usurpation  and  oppor- 
tunity, and,  in  view  of  the  high-caste  assumptions  of  the  Mahratta 
nation,  their  sovereign  seems  to  have  laid  claim  to  a sort  of  head- 
ship in  Hindooism,  and  so  “Peishwa”  became  a religious  as  well  as 
a secular  title,  and  carried  a great  influence  with  it  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  Hindoos. 

Duff,  the  historian  of  the  time,  gives  a fearful  picture  of  the 
licentiousness  which  prevailed  at  Bajee  Rao’s  capital  in  1816,  and 
of  his  perfidy  in  attempting  the  assassination,  by  treachery,  of  Mr. 
Elphinstone,  the  English  Embassador,  and  in  the  death  of  several 
Europeans  whom  he  caused  to  be  killed  in  cold  blood,  as  well  as 
the  families  of  the  native  troops  in  their  service.  His  ferocious 


The  “ Nana  Sahib. 


THE  NAXA  SAHIB. 


1 8 1 


and  vindictive  orders,  issued  on  the  5th  of  November,  1817,  fore- 
shadowed too  truly  other  orders  of  a similar  nature  issued  in  July, 
1857,  by  him  to  whom  he  transferred  his  home  and  fortune.  The 
adopted  son  was  worthy  of  his  putative  father.  That  son  was 
Nana  Sa/iib.  The  name  of  the  author  of  the  Cawnpore  massacre 
is,  of  course,  well  known. 

The  picture  of  him  here  presented  was  drawn  by  Major  O’Gan- 
dini,  and  sent  home  from  India.  He  was  fat,  with  that  unhealthy 
corpulence  which  marks  the  Eastern  voluptuary,  of  sallow  complex- 
ion and  middle  height,  with  strongly  marked  features.  He  did 
not  speak  a word  of  English.  His  age  at  the  time  of  the  massacre 
was  about  thirty-six  years.  As  this  man  will  ever  be  identified 
with  the  sanguinary  fame  of  Cawnpore,  it  seems  appropriate  to  give 
the  reader  a more  definite  account  of  who  he  was,  and  his  ante- 
cedents, as  furnished  by  Trevelyan. 

His  full  name  was  Sccrcck  Dhoondoo  Punth,  but  the  execration  of 
mankind  has  found  his  cluster  of  titles  too  long  for  use,  and  prefers 
the  more  familiar  appellation  of  “ The  Nana  Sahib." 

Bajee  Rao,  the  Peishwa  of  Poonah,  was  the  last  monarch  of  the 
Mahrattas,  who,  for  many  years,  kept  Central  India  in  war  and  con- 
fusion. The  English  Government  being  driven  by  his  faithlessness 
and  treachery  to  dethrone  the  old  man,  assigned  him  a residence  at 
Bithoor,  a few  miles  from  Cawnpore,  which  he  occupied  until  his 
death,  in  1851.  With  his  traditions,  his  annuity  of  eight  lakhs  of 
rupees  ($400,000)  yearly,  and  his  host  of  retainers,  Bajee  Rao  led  a 
splendid  life,  so  far  as  this  world  was  concerned.  But  the  old  Mah- 
ratta  had  one  sore  trial : he  had  no  son  to  inherit  his  possessions, 
perpetuate  his  name,  and  apply  the  torch  to  his  funeral  pyre.  This 
last  office,  according  to  the  Hindoo  faith,  can  only  be  performed 
properly  by  a filial  hand.  In  this  strait  he  had  recourse  to  adop- 
tion, a ceremony  which,  by  Hindoo  law,  entitles  the  favored  indi- 
vidual to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  an  heir  born  of  the  body. 
His  choice  fell  upon  this  Seereek  Dhoondoo  Punth,  who,  according 
to  some,  was  the  son  of  a corn  merchant  of  Poonah,  while  others 
maintain  that  he  was  the  offspring  of  a poor  Konkanee  Brahmin, 


182 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


and  first  saw  the  light  at  Venn,  a miserable  little  village  near  Bom- 
bay. The  Nana  was  educated  for  his  position  ; and,  on  the  death 
of  his  benefactor,  he  entered  into  possession  of  his  princely  home 
and  his  immense  private  fortune.  But  this  did  not  satisfy  the 
Nana.  He  demanded  from  the  British  Government,  in  addition, 
the  title  and  the  yearly  pension  which  they  had  granted  to  his 
adoptive  father.  His  claim  was  disallowed,  as  the  pension  was 
purely  in  the  form  of  an  annuity  to  the  late  King.  But  the  Nana 
was  not  to  be  foiled.  Failing  with  the  Calcutta  authorities,  he 
transferred  his  appeal  to  London,  and  dispatched  an  agent  to 
prosecute  it  there.  This  opens  another  amazing  chapter  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  man.  The  person  selected,  and  who  had  so  much  to 
do  afterward  with  the  massacre  of  the  ladies  and  children,  was  his 
confidential  man  of  business,  Azeemoolah  Khan,  a clever  adven- 
turer, who  began  life  as  a kitmutgar — a waiter  at  table.  He  thus 
acquired  a knowledge  of  the  English  tongue,  to  which  he  afterward 
added  French,  and  came  at  length  to  speak  and  write  both  with 
much  fluency.  Leaving  service  to  pursue  his  studies,  he  afterward 
became  a school-teacher,  and  in  this  latter  position  attracted  the 
notice  of  the  Nana,  who  made  him  his  Vakeel,  or  Prime  Agent,  and 
sent  him  to  London  to  prosecute  his  claims.  Azeemoolah  arrived 
in  town  during  the  height  of  “the  season”  of  1854,  and  tvas  wel- 
comed into  “society”  with  no  inquiry  as  to  antecedents.  Passing 
himself  off  as  an  Indian  prince,  and  being  abundantly  furnished 
with  ways  and  means,  and  having,  withal,  a most  presentable  con- 
tour, he  gained  admission  into  the  most  distinguished  circles,  mak- 
ing a very  decided  sensation.  He  speedily  became  a lion,  and 
obtained  more  than  a lion’s  share  of  the  sweetest  of  all  flattery — 
the  ladies  voted  him  “charming.”  Handsome  and  witty,  endowed 
with  plenty  of  assurance,  and  an  apparent  abundance  of  diamonds 
and  Cashmere  shawls,  the  ex-kitmutgar  seemed  as  fine  a gentleman 
as  the  Prime  Minister  of  Nepaul  or  the  Maharajah  of  the  Punjab, 
both  of  whom  had  been  lately  in  London. 

In  addition  to  the  political  business  which  he  had  in  hand,  Azce- 
moolah  was  at  one  time  prosecuting  a suit  of  his  own  of  a more 


HIS  AGENT  A ZEEM 0 OLA II. 


183 


delicate  nature  ; but,  happily  for  the  fair  Englishwoman  who  was 
the  object  of  his  attentions,  her  friends  interfered  and  saved  her 
from  becoming  an  item  in  the  harem  of  this  Mohammedan  polyga- 
mist. He  returned  to  India  by  Constantinople,  and  visited  the 
Crimea,  where  the  war  was  then  raging  between  England  and 
Russia.  He  bore  to  his  master  the  tidings  of  his  unsuccessful 
efforts  on  his  behalf,  but  consoled  him  with  the  assurance  that  the 
youthful  vigor  of  the  Russian  power  would  soon  overthrow  the 
decaying  strength  of  England,  and  then  a decisive  blow  would  be 
sufficient  to  destroy  their  yoke  in  the  East.  Subtle  and  blood- 
thirsty, Azeemoolah  betrayed  no  animosity  until  the  outburst  of 
the  Rebellion,  and  then  he  became  the  presiding  genius  of  the 
assault  and  final  massacre.  Meanwhile  he  moved  amid  English 
society  at  Cawnpore  with  such  deep  dissimulation  as  to  awaken  no 
suspicion  ; and  he  was  even  the  whole  time  carrying  on  correspond- 
ence with  more  than  one  noble  lady  in  England,  who  had  allowed 
herself,  in  her  too  confiding  disposition,  to  be  betrayed  into 
a hasty  admiration  of  this  swarthy  adventurer : so  that,  on  the 
first  day  of  Havelock’s  entrance,  when  he  and  his  men  came 
straight  from  “the  Slaughter-House”  and  fatal  Well,  to  the  Palace 
of  Bithoor,  they  discovered,  among  the  possessions  of  this  scoun- 
drel, the  letters  of  these  titled  ladies,  couched  in  terms  of  the  most 
courteous  friendship.  How  little  they  suspected  the  true  character 
of  their  correspondent ! and  how  bitter  and  painful  were  the  emotions 
which,  under  such  circumstances,  their  letters  raised  in  the  breasts 
of  Havelock’s  men!  And  yet  this  sleek  and  wary  wretch  was  edu- 
cated and  courtly,  even  to  fascination,  while  the  heart  beneath  his 
gorgeous  vest  cherished  the  purposes  of  the  tiger  and  the  fiend. 
So  much  for  education  and  refinement  without  religion  or  the  fear 
of  God. 

Dr.  Russell,  “ the  Times’  Correspondent,”  mentions  having  met 
Azeemoolah  in  the  Crimea,  seeing  with  his  own  eyes  how  matters 
were  going  on  there.  He  was  fresh  from  England,  where,  a few 
weeks  before,  he  might  have  been  seen  moving  complacently  in 
London  drawing-rooms,  or  cantering  on  Brighton  Downs,  the 


184 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


center  of  an  admiring  bevy  of  English  damsels  ; but  in  the  Crimea 
the  secret  of  his  soul  was  betrayed  when,  one  evening,  in  a large 
party,  he  was  incautious  enough  to  remark  that  the  Russians  and 
the  Turks  should  cease  to  quarrel,  and  join  and  take  India.  The 
remark  caused  some  feeling,  but  aroused  no  suspicion  of  the  lurk- 
ing vengeance.  India  could  gain  nothing  by  such  a change  of 
masters.  He  knew  this  well  enough  ; but  such  a change  would 
humble  England,  and  probably  suspend  or  annihilate  Christian 
missions  there:  and  these  results  would  be  to  him  a full  compensa- 
tion for  the  change. 

The  sensual  and  superstitious  Maharajah  of  Bithoor — as  Nana 
Sahib  was  called — had  thus  found  an  agent  after  his  own  heart  to 
work  out  his  will.  Bithoor  Palace,  where  the  Nana  resided,  was 
spacious,  and  richly  furnished  in  European  style.  All  the  recep- 
tion-rooms were  decorated  with  immense  mirrors,  and  massive 
chandeliers  in  variegated  glass,  and  of  the  most  recent  manufac- 
ture ; the  floors  were  covered  with  the  finest  productions  of  the 
Indian  looms,  and  all  the  appurtenances  of  Eastern  splendor  were 
strewed  about  in  amazing  profusion  ; but  it  would  be  impossible  to 
lift  the  vail  that  must  rest  on  the  private  life  of  this  man.  No- 
where was  the  mystery  of  iniquity  deeper  and  darker  than  in  this 
Palace  of  Bithoor.  It  was  a nest  worthy  of  such  a vulture.  There 
were  apartments  in  that  palace  horribly  unfit  for  any  human  eye, 
where  both  European  and  native  artists  had  done  their  utmost  to 
gratify  the  corrupt  master,  who  was  willing  to  incur  any  expense 
for  the  completion  of  his  loathsome  picture-gallery. 

In  the  apartments  open  to  the  inspection  of  English  visitors 
there  was,  of  course,  nothing  that  could  shock  either  modesty  or 
humanity,  though  a person  of  fastidious  taste  might  take  exception 
to  the  arrangement  of  the  heterogeneous  collection  of  furniture  and 
decorations  with  which  the  Nana  Sahib  had  filled  his  house  when 
he  aimed  to  blend  the  complicated  domestic  appliances  of  the 
European  with  the  few  and  simple  requirements  of  the  Oriental. 

The  Maharajah  had  a large  and  excellent  stable  of  horses,  ele- 
phants, and  camels  ; a well-appointed  kennel ; a menagerie  of 


A HYPOCRITE  WHO  HAS  NO  EQUAL.  1S5 

pigeons,  falcons,  peacocks,  and  apes,  which  would  have  done  credit 
to  any  Eastern  monarch  from  the  days  of  Solomon  downward. 
His  armory  was  stocked  with  weapons  of  every  age  and  country  ; 
his  reception-rooms  sparkled  with  mirrors  and  chandeliers  that  had 
come  direct  from  Birmingham  ; his  equipages  had  stood  within  a 
twelvemonth  in  the  warehouses  of  London.  He  possessed  a vast 
store  of  gold  and  silver  plate,  and  his  wardrobe  overflowed  with 
Cashmere  shawls  and  jewelry,  which,  when  exhibited  on  gala  days, 
were  regarded  with  longing  eyes  by  the  English  ladies  of  Cawn- 
pore  : for  the  Nana  seldom  missed  an  occasion  for  giving  a ball 
or  a banquet  in  European  style  to  the  society  of  the  station, 
although  he  would  never  accept  an  entertainment  in  return, 
because  the  English  Government,  which  refused  to  regard  him  as 
a royal  personage,  would  not  allow  him  the  honor  of  a salute  of 
twenty-one  guns.  On  these  occasions  the  Maharajah  presented 
himself  in  his  panoply  of  kincob  and  Cashmere,  crowned  with  a 
tiara  of  pearls  and  diamonds — as  here  represented — the  great  ruby 
in  the  center,  and  girt  with  old  Bajee  Rao’s  sword  of  State,  which 
report  valued  at  three  lakhs  of  rupees,  ($1 50,000.)  The  Maharajah 
mixed  freely  with  the  company,  inquired  after  the  health  of  the 
Major’s  lady,  congratulated  the  Judge  on  his  rumored  promotion 
to  the  Supreme  Court,  joked  the  Assistant  Magistrate  about  his 
last  mishap  in  the  hunting-field,  and  complimented  the  belle  of  the 
evening  on  the  color  she  had  brought  down  from  the  hills  of 
Simla. 

All  this  was  going  on  when  the  writer  was  in  Cawnpore  in  the 
fall  of  1856.  These  costly  festivities  were  then  provided  for  and 
enjoyed  by  the  very  persons — ladies,  children,  and  gentlemen — 
who  were,  before  ten  months  had  passed,  ruthlessly  butchered  in 
cold  blood  by  their  quondam  host.  Till  his  hour  arrived  nothing 
could  exceed  the  cordiality  which  he  managed  to  display  in  his 
intercourse  with  the  English.  The  persons  in  authority  placed 
implicit  confidence  in  his  friendship  and  good  faith,  and  the  young 
officers  emphatically  pronounced  him  “ a capital  fellow.”  He  had 
a nod,  a kind  word,  for  every  Englishman  in  the  station  ; hunting 


1 86 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


parties  and  jewelry  for  the  men,  and  picnics  and  Cashmere  shawls 
for  the  ladies.  If  a subaltern’s  wife  required  change  of  air  the  Ma- 
harajah’s carriage  was  at  the  service  of  the  young  couple,  and  the 
European  apartments  at  Bithoor  were  put  in  order  to  receive  them. 
If  a civilian  had  overworked  himself  in  court,  he  had  but  to  speak 
the  word,  and  the  Maharajah’s  elephants  were  sent  to  the  Oude 
jungles  for  him  to  go  tiger  hunting;  but  none  the  less  did  he 
ever,  for  a moment,  forget  the  grudge  he  bore  the  English  people. 
While  his  face  was  all  smiles,  in  his  heart  of  hearts  he  brooded 
over  the  judgment  of  the  Government,  and  the  refusal  of  his  de- 
spised claim. 

The  men  who,  with  his  presented  sapphires  and  rubies  glitter- 
ing on  their  fingers,  sat  there  laughing  around  his  table,  had  each 
and  all  been  doomed  to  die  by  a warrant  that  admitted  of  no  appeal 
He  had  sworn  that  the  injustice  should  be  expiated  by  the  blood 
of  ladies  who  had  never  heard  his  grievance  named,  of  babies  who 
had  been  born  years  after  the  question  of  that  grievance  had 
passed  into  oblivion.  The  great  crime  of  Cawnpore  blackened  the 
pages  of  history  with  a far  deeper  stain  than  Sicilian  vespers  or 
St.  Bartholomew  massacres,  for  this  atrocious  deed  was  prompted 
neither  by  diseased  nor  mistaken  patriotism,  nor  by  the  madness 
of  superstition.  The  motives  of  the  deed  were  as  mean  as  the 
execution  was  cowardly  and  treacherous.  Among  the  subordinate 
villains  there  might  be  some  who  were  possessed  by  bigotry  and 
class  hatred,  but  Nana  Sahib  was  actuated  by  no  higher  impulses 
than  ruffled  pride  and  disappointed  avarice. 

The  Hindoos,  and  particularly  the  military  class  of  them,  looked 
up  to  this  man  as  their  Peishwa.  His  position  gave  him  immense 
influence.  They  would  go  with  him  to  the  side  which  he  espoused. 
It  is  understood  that  he  was  tampered  with,  and  made  a tool  of,  by 
the  Delhi  faction  under  promise  that  when  the  English  were  ex- 
pelled the  country  the  Emperor  would  recognize  his  claims,  and 
give  him  the  throne  of  his  reputed  father  at  Poonah  ; so  he  threw 
in  his  lot  with  the  conspiracy  and  bided  his  time. 

3.  The  Mohammedan  monopoly  of  place  and  power  is  another 


THEIR  NUMBERS  AND  ADVANTAGE. 


187 


consideration  to  be  remembered  in  understanding  the  character 
and  extent  of  this  vast  combination  against  Christian  civilization. 

This  gave  them  their  opportunity  to  organize  their  plans  and 
work  up  the  conspiracy.  The  Sepoy  army,  with  the  “ Contingents  ” 
at  native  courts,  native  police,  and,  we  may  also  add,  the  armed 
followers  of  the  Rajahs  and  Nawabs  who  favored  the  rising,  con- 
stituted an  armed  body  of  men  fully  five  hundred  thousand  strong 
— the  life  and  soul  of  the  whole  being  the  native  “ Bengal  Army,” 
very  largely  Brahminical.  Over  these  ignorant,  superstitious,  and 
fanatical  forces,  whether  as  military,  commissariat,  civil,  legal,  or 
financial  subordinate  officers,  were  these  Mohammedan  officials,  so 
that  a perfect  organization,  from  Delhi  throughout  the  whole  land, 
was  being  formed,  and  it  only  now  needed  safe  means  of  commu- 
nication between  the  several  parts,  so  that  the  central  conspiracy 
could  receive  information  or  send  its  arrangements  through  men 
whom  it  could  entirely  trust,  and  who  were  its  willing  and  ready 
agents.  But  this,  too,  was  supplied,  as  we  shall  see. 

The  Sepoy  army  mounted  guard  upon  the  forts,  the  magazines, 
and  the  treasuries  of  India  ; and  when  their  hour  had  come,  and  all 
was  prepared,  they  held  in  their  own  hands  the  key  of  the  coined 
millions  of  the  public  money,  its  vast  stores  of  munitions  of  war, 
and  its  strong  places.  The  total  of  European  troops  then  in  India 
was  exactly  45,522,  of  all  arms  ; but  of  these  21,156  were  away  in 
Madras  and  Bombay,  leaving  only  24,366  for  the  East,  center,  and 
Punjab,  and  more  than  two  thirds  of  these  were  off  on  the  West- 
ern frontiers  and  in  Burmah,  so  that  in  the  entire  Valley  of  the 
Ganges  there  were  but  two  half  regiments,  one  with  Sir  H.  Law- 
rence in  Lucknow,  and  the  other  at  Cawnpore. 

4.  India  was  then  not  only  without  railroads,  but  was  even  desti- 
tute of  common  roads,  while  the  rivers  were  unbridged,  and  there 
was  every  natural  difficulty  in  the  way  of  an  army  of  white  men 
moving  through  the  land,  with  the  heavy  impedimenta  which  they 
require  in  such  a climate,  and  in  which  respect  the  native  troops, 
being  so  much  less  encumbered,  so  much  more  at  home  in  the 
heat,  and  so  well  acquainted  with  the  country,  had  their  enemy  at 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


1 88 

every  disadvantage,  and  especially  as  they  sprung  the  struggle 
upon  them  in  the  very  midst  of  the  hot  season,  when  sun-stroke 
would  be  sure  to  lay  low  more  than  were  prostrated  by  the  bullet. 

To  show  the  importance  of  one  aspect  of  this  difficulty:  In 
1856  there  was  but  one  made  road  in  North  India — “the  Grand 
Trunk,”  so  called,  from  Calcutta  to  the  Punjab.  General  Anson, 
the  English  Commander-in-chief,  on  the  first  alarm  on  the  10th  of 
May,  commenced  to  collect  his  forces  and  march  upon  Delhi.  The 
distance  was  under  four  hundred  miles  ; but  so  wretched  were  the 
roads,  and  having  to  drag  his  artillery  through  rivers,  it  was  the 
8th  of  June  when  his  army  reached  Delhi,  and  nine  tenths  of  all 
the  massacre  and  mischief  were  accomplished  during  those  twenty- 
eight  days.  On  the  other  side  the  river  the  conditions  of  travel 
were  equally  bad.  The  Soane  River  is  crossed  by  this  Grand 
Trunk  Road.  There  was,  in  1856,  no  way  but  to  drag  through  its 
deep  sands  and  widespread  waters  with  bullocks — I have  been  four 
hours  going  from  one  side  to  the  other ; and  the  wise  Government, 
that  for  one  hundred  years  had  neglected  to  build  a bridge,  had 
erected  a dak  Bungalow  (Travelers’  Rest  House)  on  either  bank,  to 
meet  the  clear  necessity  that  if  you  had  breakfasted  on  one  side 
you  would  need  your  dinner  when  you  reached  the  other!  What 
it  was  to  take  troops,  artillery,  and  commissariat  through  such  a 
country  the  reader  can  imagine. 

It  is  a consolation  to  add,  as  a sign  of  that  wonderful  progress 
toward  a better  state  of  things  on  which  India  has  since  entered, 
that  I had  the  satisfaction  of  crossing  that  same  Soane  River  in 
1864  in  a few  minutes  on  a first-class  railroad  bridge,  and  to-day 
General  Anson  could  come  from  Umballa  to  Delhi  in  twenty-four 
hours. 

5.  The  annexation  of  Oude — the  home  of  the  Sepoy — and  where, 
while  it  was  under  native  administration,  the  military  classes  that 
took  service  under  the  British  Government  had  peculiar  privileges 
that  annexation  would  annul,  leaving  them  equal  before  the  law 
with  the  rest  of  the  people  : this,  with  the  turbulent  character  of 
the  Talookdars  (or  Barons)  of  Oude,  who  held  themselves  above 


DREAD  OF  CHRISTIAN  CIVILIZATION. 


189 


law,  and  defied  their  King  to  collect  revenue  from  them,  or  exact 
their  obedience,  along  with  the  thousands  of  persons  who  made 
a living  by  the  Court,  and  their  relation  to  its  duties,  intrigues, 
necessities,  and  vices,  and  whose  occupation  would  be  gone  were 
the  country  annexed  and  British  rule  introduced — all  these  were 
aroused  to  a pitch  of  frenzy  when  the  plot  was  actually  consum- 
mated, and  were  ready  to  join  in  any  enterprise,  no  matter  how 
wild  or  desperate,  that  promised  an  overthrow  of  the  new  condi- 
tion of  things.  And,  finally, 

6.  To  these  elements  of  disturbance  and  eager  watchfulness  for 
a change,  has  to  be  added  the  great  fact  of  the  growing  fear  of  the 
extension  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  the  founding  of  new  Mis- 
sions in  the  land,  with  the  consequent  and  widespread  fear  that 
their  own  faiths  were  in  imminent  danger  of  overthrow.  Confound- 
ing every  white  man  with  the  Government,  and  regarding  him  as 
most  certainly  in  the  service  and  pay  of  the  English,  they  looked 
upon  each  Missionary  as  an  emissary,  backed  up  by  the  entire 
power  and  resources  of  the  Administration,  and  to  be  correspond- 
ingly feared.  This  was  the  general  view,  (of  course  the  more 
enlightened  knew  better,)  and  the  interested  parties  took  good  care 
to  intensify  it  to  the  utmost  of  their  ability. 

The  very  pains  taken  by  the  English  officials  to  deny  it,  and 
present  the  Government  doctrine  of  “ Neutrality,”  only  made  mat- 
ters worse  ; for  Hindoos  and  Mohammedans  could  not  imagine  a 
ruling  power  without  a religion,  or  without  zeal  for  diffusion  of  its 
own  faith.  The  denial,  therefore,  was  not  believed  ; it  only  intensi- 
fied the  conviction  of  the  people  that  these  words  were  used  to 
conceal  the  truth,  and  could  only  be  used  as  a pretext  to  blind 
them  for  the  present,  till  the  English  were  fully  prepared  for  the 
most  determined  action  against  their  castes  and  their  faiths.  So 
that  every  movement  was  watched,  and  every  act  misinterpreted  ; 
and  those  in  high  places  were  distracted  by  prejudices  which  were 
too  blind  and  fanatical  to  allow  them  to  listen  to  reason. 

My  own  appearance  in  Lucknow  and  Bareilly  as  a Missionary, 
and  the  pioneer  of  a band  soon  to  follow,  caused  a great  deal  of 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


190 

talk  and  excitement,  and  was  pointed  to  as  a part  of  the  plan  which 
the  Government  was  maturing  against  their  religions. 

They  could  also  refer  to  the  steady  encroachments  of  Christian 
law  upon  their  cherished  institutions.  Suttee  had  been  prohibited, 
female  infanticide  made  penal,  the  right  of  a convert  to  inherit 
property  vindicated,  the  remarriage  of  widows  made  lawful,  self- 
immolation  at  Juggernaut  interdicted,  Thuggeeism  suppressed, 
caste  slighted — and  they  dreaded  what  might  come  next,  ere  they 
should  be  entrapped  into  an  utter  loss  of  caste,  and  forced  to  em- 
brace the  Christian  faith. 

Such  was  the  peculiar  combination  of  circumstances  that  in  1856 
gave  to  the  disaffected  portion  of  the  people  of  India  the  opportu- 
nity to  concentrate  their  energies,  under  the  most  favorable  condi- 
tions of  success,  to  strike  a blow  that  would  at  once  overthrow 
Christianity  and  English  rule  forever,  and  restore,  as  they  thought, 
native  supremacy  and  the  abrogated  institutions  of  their  respective 
faiths.  They  really  imagined  that  if  they  could  but  wipe  out  the 
few  thousand  English  in  the  land  their  work  would  be  done,  and 
that  Great  Britain  either  could  not,  or  would  not,  replace  them, 
especially  in  view  of  the  resistance  to  a re-occupation  which  they 
could  then  present. 

In  addition  to  the  elements  of  preparation  which  have  been 
already  presented,  there  was  needed,  for  their  safety  and  success  in 
their  terrible  enterprise,  that  the  conspirators  should  have  a medium 
of  communication  between  the  various  parts  of  the  country  and 
ihose  who  were  working  with  them,  as,  also,  an  agency  to  win  over 
the  wavering  and  consolidate  the  whole  power,  so  that  it  might  be 
well  in  hand  when  the  time  for  action  should  come. 

The  post-office  was  soon  distrusted  as  a medium  of  communica- 
tion ; nor  did  it  quite  answer  their  purpose.  They  needed  a living 
agency.  This  was  essential,  and  one,  too,  whose  constant  move- 
ments would  occasion  no  surprise  ; but  just  such  emissaries  as  they 
required  were  ready  at  hand  in  the  persons  of  the  Fakirs,  or  wan- 
dering saints  of  Hindustan. 

No  account  of  India,  or  of  the  Sepoy  Rebellion,  would  be  com- 


THE  FAKIRS. 


IQl 


plete  which  did  not  include  a proper  description  of  these  Fakirs. 
They  are  the  saints  of  the  Mohammedan  and  Hindoo  systems. 
These  horrible  looking  men,  with  their  disheveled  hair,  naked  bod- 
ies, and  painted  breasts  and  foreheads,  are  constantly  roving  over 
the  country,  visiting  shrines,  making  pilgrimages,  and  performing 
religious  sendees  for  their  disciples.  The  Sepoys  greatly  honored 
and  liberally  patronized  these  spiritual  guides.  The  post-office 
failing  them,  the  chiefs  of  the  conspiracy  linked  these  Fakirs  into 
the  enterprise  as  the  medium  of  communication  ; and  they  were  so 
stationed  that  the  orders  transmitted,  or  the  information  desired, 
could  be  forwarded  with  a celerity  and  safety  that  was  amazing. 

It  may  be  desired,  for  the  sake  of  the  information  on  this  singular 
topic,  to  digress  a little  just  here,  before  proceeding  with  the  narra- 
tive. Of  all  the  curses  under  which  India  and  her  daughters  groan, 
it  may  safely  be  said  that  this  profession  of  the  Fakirs  is  one  of  the 
heaviest  and  most  debasing.  The  world  has  not  often  beheld  a 
truer  illustration  of  putting  “darkness  for  light”  than  is  afforded  in 
the  character  and  influence  of  these  ignorant,  beastly-looking  men 
— fellows  that  in  any  civilized  land  would  be  indicted  as  “common 
vagrants,”  or  hooted  out  of  society  as  an  intolerable  outrage  upon 
decency.  But  they  swarm  in  India,  infesting  its  highways,  crowding 
its  ghats  and  temples,  creeping  into  its  homes,  and  leading  captive 
its  poor,  silly  women.  They  hold  the  general  mind  of  India  in  such 
craven  fear  that  the  courtly  Rajah,  riding  in  his  silver  howdah  on 
the  back  of  his  elephant,  and  surrounded  by  his  retinue,  will  often, 
rise  from  his  seat  and  salaam  to  one  of  these  wretches  as  he  goes  by. 

The  Law-giver  of  India,  while  so  jealously  providing  for  the 
seclusion  of  the  ladies  of  the  land,  expressly  relaxes  the  rules  in 
favor  of  four  classes  of  men — Fakirs,  Bards,  Brahmins  and  their 
own  servants — in  the  following  section  of  the  Code  : “ Mendicants, 
encomiasts,  men  prepared  for  a sacrifice,  cooks,  and  other  artisans 
are  not  prohibited  from  speaking  to  married  women.” — Sec.  360, 
chap.  viii.  They  can  exercise  their  discretion  how  far  they  shall 
unvail  themselves  before  them,  though  in  their  intercourse  with 
Brahmins  and  Fakirs  all  restriction  is  usually  laid  aside.  They  are 


192 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


as  absolutely  in  their  power  as  the  female  penitents  of  the  Romish 
Church  are  in  that  of  their  priesthood,  and  even  more  so. 

This  state  of  things  has  lasted  for  long  ages  past.  Alexander 
the  Great,  in  his  invasion  of  India,  326  B.  C.,  found  these  very  men 
as  we  see  them  there  to-day.  The  historians  of  his  expedition ‘give 
us  accurate  descriptions  of  them.  The  Greeks  were  evidently 
amused  and  astonished  at  the  sight  of  these  ascetics,  and,  having 
no  word  in  their  language  to  describe  them,  they  invented  a new 
term,  and  called  them  Gymnosophists,  (from  gum  nos.  naked,  and 
sophos,  wise.)  The  patient  endurance  of  pain  and  privation,  the 
complete  abstraction  of  some,  the  free  quotations  of  the  Shaster 
Slokes  and  maxims  of  their  philosophy  by  the  others,  led  the 
amazed  Alexander  and  his  troops  to  designate  them  as  “ Naked 
Philosophers,”  more  literally  so  than  the  pictures  here  presented,  for, 
though  in  my  possession,  I did  not  dare  to  have  those  engraved 
whose  nudity  would  have  more  fully  justified  the  Greek  designa- 
tion ; but  they  are  still  there,  and  of  that  class  of  the  Fakirs  a few 
words  farther  on  will  be  in  place. 

The  word  “Fakir”  (pronounced  Fa-kfeer,  with  the  a broad)  is 
an  Arabic  term  signifying  “ poor,”  or  a “ poor  man,”  because  they 
profess  to  have  taken  the  vow  of  poverty,  and,  in  theory,  hold  them- 
selves above  the  necessity  of  home,  property,  or  money,  realizing 
their  living  as  a religious  right  from  the  people  wherever  they 
come. 

Some  wander  from  place  to  place,  some  go  on  pilgrimages,  and 
others  locate  themselves  under  a great  banyan  tree,  or  in  the 
depths  of  a forest  in  some  ruinous  shrine  or  tomb,  or  on  the  bank 
of  a river,  and  there  receive  the  homage  and  offerings  of  their 
votaries. 

I have  often  stood  and  looked  at  them  in  the  wild  jungle,  miles 
away  from  a human  habitation,  filthy,  naked,  daubed  with  ashes 
and  paint,  and  thought  how  like  they  seemed  to  those  wretched 
creatures  whom  a merciful  Saviour  released  from  the  power  of  evil 
spirits,  and  so  compassionately  restored  to  decency,  to  friends,  and 
to  their  right  minds. 


The  Fakirs  of  India. — From  a Photograph. 


SELF-  TORTURING  FAKIRS. 


195 


Some  few  of  these  Fakirs  are  undoubtedly  sincere  in  their  pro- 
fession of  giving  up  the  world,  and  its  social  and  domestic  relations, 
to  embrace  lives  of  solitude,  mortification,  or  self-torture,  or  to 
devote  themselves  to  a course  of  religious  contemplation  and 
asceticism  ; others  of  them  do  it  from  a motive  of  vain-glory,  to  be 
honored  and  worshiped  by  their  deluded  followers  ; while  both  of 
these  classes  expect,  in  addition,  to  accumulate  thereby  a stock  of 
merit  that  will  avail  them  in  the  next  transmigration,  and  hasten 
their  absorption  into  Brahm.  But  no  one  who  has  seen  and 
known  them  can  doubt  that  the  great  majority  of  the  Fakirs  are 
impostors  and  hypocrites. 

A glance  at  the  picture  will  enable  the  reader  more  fully  to 
understand  the  descriptions  which  follow.  These  wear  some 
clothing,  but  not  much.  The  hair  of  the  head  is  permitted  to 
grow — in  some  cases  not  cut,  and  evidently  not  combed — from  the 
time  when  they  enter  upon  this  profession.  It  grows  at  length 
longer  than  the  body,  when  it  is  wound  around  the  head  in  a rope- 
like coil,  and  is  fastened  with  a wooden  pin.  The  figure  on  the 
left  hand  of  the  picture  in  front  is  one  of  these.  Having  some 
doubts  whether  there  was  not  some  “make-believe”  in  the  huge 
roll,  I questioned  a Fakir  one  day  about  it.  Seizing  the  big  pin, 
he  pulled  it  out,  and  down  fell  the  long  line  of  hair  trailing  after 
him.  It  was,  sure  enough,  all  his  own  hair. 

But  even  these  are  not  the  worst  of  the  class.  Quite  a number 
of  them  give  up  wandering  and  locate,  and  engage  in  the  most 
amazing  manifestations  of  endurance  and  self-torture.  A few  must 
be  mentioned.  One  will  lash  a pole  to  his  body  and  fasten  the  arm 
to  it,  pointing  upward,  and  endure  the  pain  till  that  limb  becomes 
rigid  and  cannot  be  taken  down  again.  The  pole  is  then  removed. 
I saw  one  of  them  with  both  arms  thus  fixed,  his  hands  some  eight- 
een inches  higher  than  his  head,  and  utterly  immovable.  Some  of 
them  have  been  known  to  close  the  hand,  and  hold  it  so  until  the 
nails  penetrated  the  flesh,  and  came  out  on  the  other  side.  Taver- 
nier and  others  give  engravings  of  some  who  have  stood  on  one  leg 
for  years,  and  others  who  never  lie  down,  supported  only  by  a stick 


196 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


or  rope  under  their  armpits,  their  legs  meanwhile  growing  into  hid- 
eous deformity,  and  breaking  out  in  ulcers.  Sticking  a spear 
through  the  protruded  tongue,  or  through  the  arm,  is  practiced,  and 
so  is  hook-swinging — running  sharp  hooks  through  the  small  of  the 
back  deep  enough  to  bear  the  man’s  weight — when  he  is  raised 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  into  the  air  and  swung  around.  Some  will  lie 


A SELF-TORTURING  FAKIR. 


for  years  on  beds  of  iron  spikes,  like  the  one  here  represented,  read- 
ing their  Shaster  and  counting  their  beads  ; while  their  ranks  furnish 
many  of  the  voluntary  victims  who  have  immolated  themselves  be- 
neath the  wheels  of  Juggernaut.  But  there  are  tens  of  thousands 
of  them  who  take  to  the  profession  simply  because  it  gives  them  a 
living  off  the  public,  and  who  are  mere  wandering  vagabonds. 

Many  of  them  are  animated  by  another  class  of  motives.  These 
hunger  for  fame — they  have  become  Fakirs  for  the  honor  of  the 
thing — are  willing  to  suffer  that  they  may  be  respected  and  adored 
by  those  who  witness  in  wonder  the  amazing  self-tortures  which 
they  will  endure.  An  instance  which  may  be  worth  relating  will 
illustrate  this  aspect  of  the  subject.  It  was  turned  into  verse  by  a 
humorous  Englishman  when  the  case  occurred,  and  we  present  it 
here.  One  of  these  self-glorifying  Fakirs,  after  graduating  to  saint- 


THE  SELF-GLORIFICATION  MOTIVE. 


197 


ship  by  long  years  of  austerities  and  extensive  pilgrimages,  took  it 
into  his  head  that  he  could  still  further  exalt  his  fame  by  rifling 
about  in  a sort  of  Sedan  chair  with  the  seat  stuck  full  of  nails. 
Four  men  carried  him  from  town  to  town,  shaking  him  as  little  as 
possible.  Great  was  the  admiration  of  his  endurance  which  awaited 
him  every-where.  At  length  (no  doubt  when  his  condition  had 
become  such  that  he  was  for  the  time  disposed  to  listen  to  some 
friendly  advice)  a rich  native  gentleman,  somewhat  skeptical  as  to 
the  value  and  need  of  this  discipline,  met  him  and  tried  very  ear- 
nestly to  persuade  him  to  quit  his  uncomfortable  seat,  and  have  mercy 
upon  himself.  But  here  let  Mr.  Cambridge  give  the  reasoning  of  the 
kind-hearted  native,  and  point  the  moral  of  the  story.  He  says  to 
the  Fakir : 

“ ‘ Can  such  wretches  as  you  give  to  madness  a vogue  ? 

Though  the  priesthood  of  Fo  on  the  vulgar  impose 
By  squinting  whole  years  at  the  end  of  their  nose — 

Though  with  cruel  devices  of  mortification 
They  adore  a vain  idol  of  modern  creation — 

Does  the  God  of  the  heavens  such  a service  direct  ? 

Can  his  Mercy  approve  a self-punishing  sect  ? 

Will  his  Wisdom  be  worshiped  with  chains  and  with  nails. 

Or  e’er  look  for  his  rites  in  your  noses  and  tails? 

Come  along  to  my  house,  and  these  penances  leave. 

Give  your  belly  a feast,  and  your  breech  a reprieve.' 

This  reasoning  unhinged  each  fanatical  notion, 

And  staggered  our  saint  in  his  chair  of  promotion^ 

At  length,  with  reluctance,  he  rose  from  his  seat, 

And,  resigning  his  nails  and  his  fame  for  retreat, 

Two  weeks  his  new  life  he  admired  and  enjoyed ; 

The  third  he  with  plenty  and  quiet  was  cloyed ; 

To  live  undistinguished  to  him  was  the  pain. 

An  existence  unnoticed  he  could  not  sustain. 

In  retirement  he  sighed  for  the  fame-giving  chair, 

For  the  crowd  to  admire  him,  to  reverence  and  stare : 

No  endearments  of  pleasure  and  ease  could  prevail, 

He  the  saintship  resumed,  and  new-larded  his  tail.’’ 

The  reference  in  the  third  line — to  “ squinting  whole  years  at 
the  end  ot  his  nose,”  is  a serious  subject,  and  will  be  explained 
hereafter. 

Sometimes  Fakirs  will  undertake  to  perform  a very  painful  and 
lengthened  exercise  in  measuring  the  distance  to  the  “ sacred”  city 

of  Benares  from  some  point,  such  as  a shrine  or  famous  temple,. 

11 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


198 

even  hundreds  of  miles  away,  though  months  or  years  may  be 
required  to  complete  the  journey.  I had  once  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  one  of  these  men  performing  this  feat.  When  I met  him  he 
was  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Road,  over  two  hundred  and  forty  nrles 
from  Benares.  He  had  already  accomplished  about  two  hundred 
miles.  A crowd  accompanied  him  from  village  to  village,  as  men 
turn  out  here  to  see  Weston  walk.  He  was  a miserable-looking: 
object,  covered  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  his  feet  with  dust 
and  mud.  He  would  lay  himself  down  flat  on  the  road,  his  face  in 
the  dust,  and  with  his  finger  would  make  a mark  in  front  of  his 
head  on  the  ground  ; then  he  would  rise  and  put  his  toes  in  that 
mark,  and  down  he  would  go  again,  flat  and  at  full  length,  make 
another  line,  rise,  and  put  his  toes  in  that,  and  so  on,  throughout  the 
live-long  day.  When  tired  out  he  would  make  such  a mark  on  the 
side  of  the  road  as  he  could  safely  find  next  morning,  and  then 
go  back  with  the  crowd  to  the  last  village  which  he  had  passed, 
where  he  would  be  fi-tcd  and  honored,  and  next  day  would  return 
to  his  mark  and  renew  his  weary  way.  I could  not  find  out  how 
much  progress  he  usually  made.  It  must  have  been  very  slow 
work — certainly  less  than  one  mile  per  day  ; and  what  weary  months 
of  hard  toil  lay  between  him  and  Benares  is  apparent.  These 
wretches  thus  choose,  and  voluntarily  lay  upon  themselves,  penal- 
ties that  nb  civilized  government  on  earth  would  venture  to  inflict 
upon  its  most  hardened  criminals. 

Some  of  these  Yogees,  in  view  of  their  supposed  sanctity  and 
superiority  to  all  external  considerations,  hold  themselves  above 
obedience  to  law  or  the  claims  of  common  decency.  I have  myself 
seen  one  of  them  in  the  streets  of  Benares,  in  the  middle  of  the 
day,  when  they  were  crowded  with  men  and  women — a man  evi- 
dently over  forty  years  of  ^ge — as  naked  as  he  was  born,  walking 
through  the  throng  with  the  most  complete  shamelessness  and 
unconcern ! And  if  it  were  not  for  the  terror  of  the  English 
magistrate’s  order  and  whip,  instead  of  one  in  a while,  hundreds 
of  these  “naked  philosophers”  would  scandalize  those  streets 
vfivery  day  in  the  year,  and  “ glory  in  their  shame.” 


A Yogee,  or  Silent  Saint  of  India. — From  a Photograph. 


TIIE  RULES  OF  HINDOO  PERFECTION. 


201 


There  is  a further  aspect  of  this  subject,  and  one  so  singular  and 
serious  that  the  reader  will  be  as  much  surprised  at  the  alleged 
divine  law  which  requires  it,  as  the  sole  and  only  path  to  moral 
purity  and  ultimate  perfection,  as  he  will  be  that  men  have  ever 
been  found  who  would  undertake  to  conform  themselves  to  the 
amazing  and  unique  discipline  by  which  it  is  to  be  attained.  We 
may  talk  of  self-denial  and  cross-bearing,  but  did  the  history  of 
human  endurance  ever  present  any  thing  equal  to  the  requirements 
of  the  following  teachings  ? 

In  all  the  wide  range  of  Hindoo  Literature  it  is  conceded  that 
there  is  nothing  so  sublime,  and  even  pure,  as  the  disquisitions  con- 
tained in  the  Bhagvat  Gccta,  ( Bhagvat , Lord,  Gccta,  song — “ the 
Song  of  the  Lord.”)  This  book  is  an  episode  cf  the  celebrated 
MaJiabarata,  and  consists  of  conversations  between  the  divine 
Kreeshna,  (the  incarnate  God  of  the  Hindoos,  in  his  last  avatar, 
or  descent  to  earth  in  mortal  form.)  and  his  favorite  pupil,  the 
valiant  Arjoona,  commander-in-chief  of  the  Pandoo  forces. 

Arjoona  is  religious  as  well  as  heroic,  and  in  deep  anxiety  to 
know  by  what  spiritual  discipline  he  may  feach  perfection  and 
permanent  union  with  God.  His  Incarnate  Deity  undertakes  to 
enlighten  him  in  the  following  instructions. 

To  assist  the  reader  in  comprehending  the  teachings  of  this 
whimsical  method  of  reaching  “ the  higher  life,”  as  practiced  by 
the  most  sincere  and  yearning  of  India’s  religious  devotees,  I pre- 
sent a faithful,  picture  of  one  of  the  class  described,  and  who  is  at  the 
same  time  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  Yogee  order,  just  as  I 
have  seen  him  in  Delhi,  where  the  photograph  was  taken.  The 
Yogee  is  the  central  figure.  The  Fakir  standing  is  his  attendant  ; 
the  man  to  the  right  is  one  of  the  Yogee’s  devotees  or  worshipers, 
come  to  pay  him  the  usual  homage,  expressed  by  his  clasped  hands. 
The  Saint  is  silent,  engaged  in  the  meditation  and  abstraction,  the 
rules  of  which  we  are  going  to  present.  His  body  is  daubed  with 
ashes  till  he  looks  as  if  covered  with  leprosy  ; the  marks  on  his 
forehead  are  red,  as  they  are  on  the  face,  and  breast,  and  arms  of 
his  attendant.  He  holds  no  converse  with  mortal  man,  nor  has  he 


202 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


done  so  for  years.  The  Governor-General  of  India  might  pass  by, 
but  he  would  not  condescend  to  look  at  him,  nor  deign  a word  of 
reply  were  he  to  speak  to  him.  He  is  supposed  to  be  dead  to  all 
things  here  below,  and  to  have  every  sense  and  faculty  absorbed  in 
the  contemplations  enjoined  in  the  following  words  of  the  Deity : 

Kreeshna  says  to  Arjoona  : “ The  man  who  keepeth  the  outward 
accidents  from  entering  his  mind,  and  his  eyes  fixed  in  contempla- 
tion between  his  brows — who  maketh  the  breath  to  pass  through 
both  his  nostrils  alike  in  expiration  and  inspiration — who  is  of  sub- 
dued faculties,  mind,  and  understanding,  and  hath  set  his  heart 
upon  salvation,  and  who  is  free  from  lust,  fear,  and  anger — is  for- 
ever blessed  in  this  life  ; and  being  convinced  that  I am  the  cher- 
isher  of  religious  zeal,  the  lord  of  all  worlds,  and  the  friend  of  all 
nature,  he  shall  obtain  me  and  be  blessed. 

“The  Yogee  constantly  exerciseth  the  spirit  in  private.  He  is 
recluse,  of  a subclued  mind  and  spirit,  free  from  hope,  and  free  from 
perception.  He  planteth  his  own  seat  firmly  on  a spot  that  is 
undefiled,  neither  too  high  nor  too  low,  and  sitteth  on  the  sacred 
grass  which  is  called  'Koos,  covered  with  a skin  and  a cloth.  Here 
he  whose  business  is  the  restraining  of  his  passions  should  sit,  with 
his  mind  fixed  on  one  object  alone,  in  the  exercise  of  his  devotion 
for  the  purification  of  his  soul,  keeping  his  head,  his  neck,  and 
body  steady  without  motion,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  point  of  his  nose, 
looking  at  no  other  place  around.  The  peaceful  soul  released  from 
fear,  who  would  keep  in  the  path  of  one  who  followed  god,  should 
restrain  the  mind,  and,  fixing  it  on  me,  depend  on  me  alone.  The 
Yogee  of  an  humble  mind,  who  thus  constantly  exerciseth  his  soul, 
obtaineth  happiness  incorporeal  and  supreme  in  me.” — Bhagvat 
Gceta,  pp.  46-48. 

It  was  one  of  these  men,  sitting  thus  naked,  filthy,  and  supercili- 
ous, upon  the  steps  of  the  Benares  Ghat,  receiving  the  homage  and 
worship  of  the  people,  that  drew  from  Bishop  Thomson  that  strong 
remark  which  made  such  an  impression  upon  those  who  heard  him 
utter  it. 

The  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  Yog  means  the  practice  of 


NUMBERS  AND  EXPENSE  OF  HINDOO  SAINTS.  203 

devotion  in  this  special  sense,  and  a Yogee  is  one  devoted  to  God  ; 
and  such  a man  as  the  one  here  presented  is  the  highest  style  of 
saint  that  Hindoo  theology  or  its  Patanjala  (School  of  Philosophy) 
can  know.  The  demands  of  these  tenets,  and  the  amazing  suprem- 
acy which  their  practice  confers  on  such  a devotee  as  this,  are  so 
extraordinary  and  beyond  belief,  that,  instead  of  my  own  language, 

I prefer  to  state  them  in  the  words  of  Professor  H.  H.  Wilson,  the 
translator  of  the  Veda.  Describing  the  discipline  of  the  Yogees, 
and  the  exaltations  which  they  aim  at,  he  says : “ 1 hese  practices  con- 
sist chiefly  of  long-continued  suppression  of  respiration  ; of  inhaling 
and  exhaling  the  breath  in  a particular  manner  ; ot  sitting  in  eighty- 
four  different  attitudes  ; ot  fixing  their  eyes  on  the  tips  of  their 
noses,  and  endeavoring  by  the  force  of  mental  abstraction  to  effect 
a union  between  the  portion  of  vital  spirit  residing  in  the  body  and 
that  which  pervades  all  nature,  and  is  identical  with  Shiva,  consid- 
ered as  the  supreme  being,  and  source  and  essence  ot  all  creation. 
When  this  mystic  union  is  effected,  the  Yogee  is  liberated  in  his 
living  body  from  the  clog  of  material  encumbrance,  and  acquires  an 
entire  command  over  all  worldly  substance.  He  can  make  himself 
lighter  than  the  lightest  substances,  heavier  than  the  heaviest ; can 
become  as  vast  or  as  minute  as  he  pleases  ; can  traverse  all  space  ; 
can  animate  any  dead  body  by  transferring  his  spirit  into  it  from 
his  own  frame ; can  render  himself  invisible  ; can  attain  all  objects  ; 
become  equally  acquainted  with  the  past,  present,  and  future ; and 
is  finally  united  with  Shiva,  and  consequently  exempted  from  being 
born  again  upon  earth.  The  superhuman  faculties  are  acquired  in 
various  degrees,  according  to  the  greater  or  less  perfection  with 
which  the  initiatory  processes  have  been  performed.”  All  this  is 
implicitly  believed  of  them  by  their  devotees,  and  they  are  honored 
accordingly  with  a boundless  reverence. 

The  number  of  persons  in  the  various  orders  of  Yogees  and 
Fakirs  all  over  India  must  be  immense.  D’Herbelot,  in  his  Biblio- 
theque  Orientale,  estimates  them  at  2,000,000,  of  which  he  thinks 
800,000  are  Mohammedan  Fakirs.  Ward’s  estimate  seems  to  sus- 
tain this.  But  the  influence  of  the  British  Government  and  its 


204 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


laws,  and  the  extension  of  education  and  missionary  teaching,  are 
steadily  tending  to  the  reduction  of  the  number,  by  lowering  the 
popular  respect  for  the  lazy  crew  that  have  so  long  consumed  the 
industry  of  the  struggling  and  superstitious  people. 

The  expense  of  supporting  them,  at  the  lowest  estimate — say  two 
rupees  per  month  for  each  Fakir — involves  a drain  of  $12,000,000 
per  annum  upon  the  industry  of  the  country — a sum  equal  to  what 
is  contributed  for  the  support  of  all  the  Christian  clergy  of  the  United 
States.  Yet  this  is  only  one  item  of  what  their  religion  costs  the 
Hindoos.  Besides  this  come  the  claims  of  the  regular  priesthood, 
then  of  the  Brahmins,  then  of  the  astrologers,  encomiasts,  etc., 
which  this  system  creates — and  Ward  says  they,  with  the  Fakirs, 
make  up  in  Bengal  about  one  eighth  of  the  population — millions 
of  men  year  after  year  thus  sponging  upon  their  fellows,  and 
engendering  the  ignorance,  the  superstition,  the  vice,  the  men- 
dicity, the  sycophancy,  that  necessitate  a foreign  rule  in  their 
magnificent  land,  as  the  only  arrangement  under  which  the  major-  v 
ity  could  know  peace,  and  be  safe  in  possession  of  the  few  advan- 
tages which  they  enjoy.  Truly  heathenism — and  above  all  Hindoo 
heathenism — is  an  expensive  system  of  social  and  national  life  for 
any  people.  Error  and  vice  don’t  pay.  They  are  dearer  far  than 
truth  and  virtue  under  any  circumstances. 

Welcoming  to  their  ranks,  as  they  did,  every  vagabond  of  ability 
who  had  an  aversion  to  labor,  before  the  introduction  of  the  British 
rules  these  Fakirs,  under  pretenses  of  pilgrimages,  used  to  wander, 
like  the  Gypsies  of  the  West,  over  the  country  in  bands  of  several 
thousands,  but  holding  their  character  so  sacred  that  the  civil 
power  dare  not  take  cognizance  of  their  conduct ; so  they  would 
often  lay  entire  neighborhoods  under  contribution,  rob  people  of 
their  wives,  and  commit  any  amount  of  enormities.  In  Dow’s 
“ Ferishta,”  Vol.  Ill,  there  is  a singular  account  of  a combination 
of  them,  twenty  thousand  strong,  raising  a rebellion  against  the 
Emperor  Aurungzebe,  selecting  as  their  leader  an  old  woman 
named  Bistcmia,  who  enjoyed  a high  fame  for  her  spells  and  great 
skill  in  the  magic  art.  The  Emperor’s  general  was  something  of 


MILITANT  SAINTS. 


205 


a wit.  He  gave  out  that  he  would  resist  her  incantations  by  written 
spells,  which  he  would  put  into  the  hands  of  his  officers.  His  proved 
the  more  powerful,  for  a good  reason  : a battle,  or  rather  a carnage, 
ensued,  in  which  the  old  lady  and  her  Fakir  host  were  simply  anni- 
hilated. Aurungzebe  met  his  general,  and,  the  historian  tells  us, 
had  a good  laugh  with  him  over  the  success  of  his  “ spells.”  Even 
as  late  as  1778  these  militant  saints  thought  themselves  strong 
enough  to  measure  swords  with  English  troops,  attacking  Colonel 
Goddard  in  his  march  to  Herapoor.  But  the  Colonel,  though  much 
more  merciful  than  the  Mohammedan  General,  taught  them  by  the 
sacrifice  of  a score  or  more  of  their  number  that  they  had  better 
let  carnal  weapons  alone.  Though  still  saucy  enough  to  the  weak, 
they  have  ceased  to  act  together  in  masses,  or  carry  a worse  weapon 
than  a club  in  their  peregrinations. 

Usually  each  wandering  Fakir  has  a religious  relation  to  the 
high  priest  of  some  leading  temple,  and  to  him  he  surrenders  some 
portion  of  the  financial  results  of  each  tour  at  its  termination.  In 
view  of  this  fact,  they  claim  free  quarters  in  all  the  temples  which 
they  pass.  Their  wide  range  of  intercourse  tends  to  make  them 
well  acquainted  with  public  affairs — they  hear  all  that  is  going  on, 
and  know  the  state  of  feeling  and  opinion,  and  communicate  to 
their  patron  priests  the  information  which  they  gather  as  they  go. 

This,  then,  was  “the  secret  service”  organized  by  the  conspirators 
of  the  Sepoy  Rebellion  to  convey  their  purposes  and  instructions — 
when  they  concluded  that  the  post-office  was  no  .longer  safe  to 
them — and  a very  efficient  and  devoted  “ service  ” it  proved  to  be 
for  their  objects. 

One  of  Havelock’s  soldiers  gave  me  a string  of  praying  beads 
which  he  took  from  one  of  these  Fakirs  before  they  executed  him. 
They  intercepted  him  on  his  way  to  a Brigade  of  Sepoys,  who  had 
not  yet  risen,  with  a document  concealed  on  his  person  from  the 
Delhi  leaders,  directing  the  brigade  to  rise  at  once  and  kill  their 
officers  and  the  ladies  and  children  of  their  station,  and  march 
immediately  for  Delhi  to  help  the  Emperor  against  the  English. 
With  this  missive  upon  him,  the  Fakir — a stout,  able  fellow — was 


20  6 


TIIE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


passing  Havelock’s  camp,  when  his  movements  attracted  attention, 
and  he  was  stopped.  The  interpreter  was  sent  for,  and  the  man 
interrogated.  He  gave  a plausible  account  of  himself — was  a Holy- 
Fakir,  on  his  way  to  a certain  shrine  beyond,  to  perform  his  devo- 
tion— all  the  time  twirling  his  beads  in  mental  prayer,  and  so 
abstracted  he  could  hardly  condescend  to  reply  to  their  inquiries. 
Some  were  for  letting  him  go  ; others,  who  did  not  like  his  looks, 
thought  it  better  to  search  him  before  doing  so,  when  the  terrible 
missive  that  was  to  plunge  into  a sudden  and  cruel  death  some 
forty  English  people,  more  than  half  of  them  ladies  and  children, 
was  found  upon  him,  and  he  was  at  once  told  to  prepare  for  death. 
They  gave  him  five  minutes,  and  then  dropped  him  by  the  road- 
side with  the  bullet.  He  held  his  beads  to  the  last,  and  the  soldier 
who  took  them  from  his  hands  gave  them  to  me.  But  there  were 
thousands  of  such  agents  at  their  command,  and  the  loss  of  a few 
made  little  difference  to  the  enterprise. 

Out  of  the  Presidency  cities  (Calcutta,  Madras,  and  Bombay) 
there  were  then  no  hotels,  and,  save  the  Dak  Bungalows  (Travelers’ 
Rest  Houses)  on  the  leading  roads,  a stranger  was  thrown  entirely 
upon  the  hospitality  of  the  civil  and  military  officers  of  the  English 
Government  as  he  moved  through  the  country.  Freely  and  cor- 
dially was  this  hospitality  extended  to  all  comers,  our  kind  hosts 
seeming  to  regard  each  visitant  as  conferring  a favor  rather  than 
receiving  it.  On  his  departure  they  furnished  him  with  a note  of 
introduction  to  a friend  in  the  next  station,  and  there  the  same 
courtesy  and  attention  was  repeated. 

Thrown  thus  so  much  and  so  constantly  into  the  society  of  these 
gentlemen  and  their  families,  we  were  especially,  as  American 
strangers  and  missionaries,  regarded  with  considerable  interest, 
and  our  future  success  discussed  from  a variety  of  stand-points, 
according  to  the  degree  and  character  of  the  religious  views  and 
feelings  of  our  kind  entertainers.  We  had  gone  to  India  under  the 
idea  that  it  was  a country  whose  tranquillity  was  fully  assured,  and 
whose  peace  could  not  be  disturbed  by  any  events  likely  to  arise 
from  any  quarter.  Our  amazement  may  be  imagined  when  we 


ANNEXATION  OF  OUDE. 


20  7 


discoveied,  as  we  so  soon  did,  that  there  were  apprehensions  in  the 
minds  of  many  of  these  gentlemen  of  the  existence  of  something 
unsafe,  and  even  dangerous,  around  them  , but  as  others  oi  them 
treated  the  matter  very  lightly,  and  even  ridiculed  the  idea  of  any 
necessity  for  anxiety,  we,  on  our  part,  concluded  that  it  was  no  par- 
ticular business  of  ours,  so  we  went  on  with  our  duty,  leaving  the 
future  to  be  guided  and  controlled  by  the  great  Protector  whom  we 
were  serving. 

On  reaching  Lucknow,  November  29,  1856,  we  found,  rather  to 
our  surprise,  that  our  note  of  introduction  was  to  billet  us  in  the 
« Residency,”  (so  famous  for  its  siege  and  relief  by  General  Have- 
lock ten  months  later.)  Lucknow  was  the  splendid  capital  of  the 
kingdom  of  Oude,  whose  sovereign,  Wajid  Ali  Shah,  had  just  been 
removed  to  Calcutta,  and  his  dominions  annexed  by  the  British 
Government,  on  account  of  the  long-continued  misrule  and  oppres- 
sion that  had  made  Oude  a neighborhood  of  misery  and  rapine  to 
all  the  country  around  it.  What  the  condition  of  its  King  and 
Court  were  is  stated,  without  exaggeration,  in  a work  issued  from 
the  American  press  about  1854,  entitled  “The  Private  Life  of  an 
Eastern  King,”  and  also  in  Sleeman’s  “ Recollections,”  and  other 
publications.  Few  sovereigns  have  ever  been  so  utterly  forgetful 
of  the  duties  of  a governor  of  men,  or  more  thoroughly  steeped  in 
selfishness  and  sensuality,  than  was  Wajid  Ali  Shah.  His  terri- 
tories at  length,  from  his  misrule  and  neglect,  became  an  unequaled 
scene  of  outrage  and  bloodshed,  and  a refuge  for  the  dacoits  (rob- 
bers) of  Northern  India,  who  would  cross  the  Ganges  at  night  and 
plunder  in  the  British  Territories  all  around,  making  good  their 
retreat  into  Oude  before  daylight.  Complaints  were  presented  for 
years,  and  threats  of  annexation  were  served  upon  him,  till  they 
ceased  to  be  heeded  by  the  besotted  and  reckless  man,  whose  cruel- 
ties and  neglect  of  his  people  (in  which,  however,  he  only  imitated 
each  of  his  predecessors)  led  at  last  to  his  being  removed  from  the 
throne  he  disgraced.  He  was  transferred  to  Calcutta  in  the  spring 
of  1856,  and  there,  on  a pension  about  equal  to  his  royal  reve- 
nues, he  prosecutes  his  debaucheries  without  ruining  a kingdom 


208 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


any  longer.  The  British  Government  annexed  Oude  to  their  terri- 
tories, greatly  to  its  relief  and  advantage.  I present  a picture  of 
this  royal  sot,  as  he  loved  to  display  himself  in  all  his  jewels  and 
finery. 

During  the  week  that  we  remained  at  Lucknow  we  were  kindly 
entertained  by  a member  of  the  new  Government,  (at  the  head  of 
which  was  the  celebrated  Sir  Henry  Lawrence.)  Every  facility 
was  afforded  me  in  prosecuting  my  inquiries,  and  all  information 
that  I needed  about  the  country,  its  condition  and  statistics,  were 
freely  communicated. 

Lucknow  then  well  deserved  the  character,  so  far  as  its  external 
aspect  was  concerned,  which  Bayard  Taylor  gives  it  in  his  “ India, 
China,  and  Japan,”  when,  standing  on  the  iron  bridge  which  spans 
the  Goomtee,  he  exclaims,  “All  was  lovely  as  the  outer  court  of 
Paradise!”  But,  in  what  moral  corruption  were  its  five  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants  seething ! I had  never  before  seen  any 
thing  approaching  its  aspect  of  depravity  and  armed  violence. 
Every  man  carried  a weapon — even  the  trader’s  sword  lay  beside 
his  goods,  ready  to  defend  them  against  the  lawless.  I had  not 
supposed  there  was  a community  of  men  in  this  woiid,  such  fero- 
cious Ishmaelites,  as  I saw  in  that  city.  It  was  not  safe  for  an 
unarmed  man,  black  or  white,  to  move  among  them.  And,  indeed, 
when  I wanted  to  see  the  city  thoroughly,  it  was  considered  essen- 
tial to  my  safety  that  I should  not  go  alone  or  unattended,  so  they 
kindly  mounted  me  on  the  back  of  an  elephant  in  a Government 
howdah,  and  gave  me  a Sepoy  escort ; and  thus  elevated,  so  that  I 
could  see  every  thing  on  the  flat-roofed  houses,  and  in  the  courts 
and  streets  below,  I made  my  first  acquaintance  with  the  city  of 
Lucknow,  and  saw  heathenism  and  Mohammedanism  in  their  unut- 
terable vileness.  I returned  to  the  Residency  in  the  evening  sick 
at  heart,  and,  for  the  moment,  discouraged  at  the  fearful  task  which 
we  were  undertaking,  to  save  and  Christianize  such  people. 

Outside  the  city  the  whole  country  was  a sort  of  camp.  The 
Sepoy  army  was  drawn  chiefly  from  this  military  class  of  men. 
Indeed,  the  city  of  Lucknow  was  the  capital  of  the  Sepoy  race. 


Wajid  Al,  Shah,  last  King  of  Oude. 


THOSE  117/0  NEEDED  US  HOST. 


21 1 


The  Talookdars  (barons)  of  Oude  (each  in  his  own  talook,  setting 
up  for  himself,  holding  all  he  had,  and  taking  all  he  was  able  to  snatch 
from  his  neighbors)  often  defied  their  King,  and  refused  to  pay 
the  jumma,  (revenue,)  and  he  could  not  obtain  it  unless  by  force  of 
arms ; and  even  here  he  was  frequently  defeated  by  their  combining 
their  forces  against  him.  Mr.  Mead  has  fully  shown  in  his  work — 
“The  Sepoy  Revolt” — how  truly  Oude  had  been  for  generations 
the  paradise  of  adventurers,  the  Alsatia  of  India,  the  nursing-place 
and  sanctuary  of  scoundrelism,  almost  beyond  a parallel  on  earth. 
Sir  William  Slecman’s  work  on  Oude  is  probably  the  most  fearful 
record  of  aristocratic  violence,  perfidy,  and  blood,  that  has  ever  been 
compiled  ; yet  it  is  written  by  one  who  opposed  the  annexation  of 
the  country  to  the  British  dominions,  and  who  was  regarded  by  the 
natives  as  their  true  friend.  When  I entered  Oude  there  were 
known  to  be  then  standing  two  hundred  and  forty-six  forts,  with 
over  eight  thousand  gunners  to  work  the  artillery  on  their  walls, 
and  connected  with  them  were  little  armies,  or  bands  of  fighting 
men,  to  whom  they  were  continually  a place  of  shelter  and  defense. 
Annexation  involved  the  razing  of  these  forts,  and  the  incorporation 
of  a large  amount  of  those  blood-thirsty  freebooters,  and  of  the 
King's  troops,  into  the  Sepoy  Army — for  Lord  Dalhousie,  the 
Governor-General,  did  not  know  what  else  to  do  with  them — but 
what  elements  of  fierceness  and  lawlessness  were  thus  added  to 
the  prejudice  and  fanaticism  of  the  high  caste  Brahminical  army 
can  be  well,  imagined.  Thousands  of  these  mercenaries  who 
could  not  be  employed,  and  who,  with  arms  in  their  hands,  were 
sent  adrift  to  seek  their  fortunes,  became  the  ready  instruments  of 
the  Talookdars’  tyranny  and  power,  when  His  Excellency  an- 
nounced to  them  his  intention  of  introducing  the  British  system 
of  land  revenue  into  their  country,  for  they  well  knew  that  these 
public  improvements  could  be  established  only  at  the  cost  of  their 
personal  prerogatives  and  opportunities.  The  result  is  before  the 
world. 

Yet  it  was  in  such  a country  and  among  such  a people,  after 
months  of  careful  inquiry  and  inspection  of  unoccupied  fields,  that 


212 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


I concluded  the  Mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
should  be  established.  We,  with  our  gospel  of  peace  and  purity, 
had  evidently  found  “ those  who  needed  us  most  and  I had 
faith  to  believe  that  this  warlike  race,  with  all  their  force  of  char- 
acter, could  be  redeemed,  and  would  yet  become  good  soldiers 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Long  after  the  hand  which  traces  these  lines 
shall  have  crumbled  into  the  dust  will  the  wide  range  of  that  beau- 
tiful valley,  dotted  with  Christian  churches,  and  cultivated  by 
Christian  hands,  be  bearing  the  rich  fruition  of  these  hopes. 

Satisfied  of  the  suitability  of  Lucknow  to  become  the  head- 
quarters of  our  new  Mission,  I sought  from  a member  of  the  Gov- 
ernment (not  Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  however)  some  statistics  of  the 
kingdom,  to  be  incorporated  in  my  Report  to  the  Board  at  New 
York.  I shall  long  remember  his  surprise  when  he  found  that  we 
seriously  contemplated  planting  the  standard  of  the  cross  there.  He 
asked  me  to  look  at  the  people,  to  consider  their  inveterate  preju- 
dices, and  the  venerable  character  of  their  systems,  and  say  if  I 
thought  any  thing  could  ever  be  done  there  ? So  far  was  he  from  so 
believing  that  he  considered  it  was  madness  for  us  to  try,  nor  would 
our  life  be  safe  in  attempting  it.  His  mind  was  so  made  up  on  that 
question  tliat  he  could  lend  no  countenance  to  such  an  effort : 
in  fact,  he  was  no  friend  to  Christian  missions,  and  he  intimated 
pretty  plainly  that  he  considered  I would  manifest  more  good  sense 
were  I retrace  my  steps  to  Calcutta,  and  take  the  first  ship  that  left 
for  America ! I received  no  better  encouragement  when  I after- 
ward called  on  Sir  James  Outram — a good  man,  and  one  of  the 
bravest  generals  that  ever  commanded  an  army.  He  could  lead 
the  advance  that  so  gallantly  captured  that  city ; but  to  stand  up 
for  Jesus  alone  and  unprotected,  exposed  to  the  rage  of  the  Moham- 
medan and  the  Hindoo  in  their  bazaars,  seemed  to  the  military  hero 
something  that  ought  not  to  be  attempted  in  such  a country  as 
Oude.  He  shrugged  his  shoulders  when  I reminded  him  that,  as 
to  our  safety,  Christ  our  Master,  whose  commission  we  obeyed, 
would  look  to  that;  while  our  success  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  duty  alone  was  ours.  But  he  could  not  see  it,  and 


OUR  MISSION  FIELD. 


213 


we  parted  never  to  meet  again.  The  gallant  man,  so  justly  desig- 
nated “ The  Bayard  of  India,”  sleeps  to-day  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
among  the  illustrious  dead  whom  England  delights  to  honor. 

Satisfied  that  we  should  end  our  wanderings,  and  regard  Oude 
and  Rohilcund  as  our  mission-field,  we  sought  for  a house  in  Luck- 
now, but  none  cofild  be  found — all  spare  accommodation  of  the 
kind  had  been  engaged  by  the  officers  connected  with  the  increased 
civil  and  military  establishments  of  the  Government.  So  we  were 
necessitated,  as  the  next  best,  thing,  to  go  on  to  Bareilly,  where  a 
residence  could  be  obtained,  and  wait  for  the  future  to  open  our 
way  into  Lucknow.  We  thus  escaped  the  honor  and  risk  of  being 
numbered  with  those  whom  the  relieving  General,  speaking  for  a 
sympathizing  world,  was  pleased  to  designate  “ the  more  than  illus- 
trious garrison  of  Lucknow,”  who  for  one  hundred  and  forty-two 
days  were  shut  up  and  besieged  within  the  walls  of  the  Residency 
and  the  adjacent  buildings,  and  whose  story  we  shall  illustrate  in 
its  place. 

With  many  of  the  survivors,  male  and  female,  I was  intimately 
acquainted  for  years  afterward,  while  my  home  subsequently  was 
within  fifteen  minutes’  walk  of  the  ruins  of  the  Residency  itself. 

After  full  examination  and  inquiry,  I had  chosen  this  Kingdom 
of  Oude  and  Province  of  Rohilcund  (with  the  hill  territory  of 
Kumaon  subsequently  added)  as  our  parish  in  India.  In  a full 
report  to  the  Board  in  New  York  our  reasons  for  the  preference 
were  fully  given,  and  the  fact  was  noted  in  the  correspondence  that 
the  field  chosen  was  one  of  those  commended  to  my  attention, 
before  leaving  America,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Durbin,  as  one  that  might 
probably,  on  examination,  be  found  pre-eminently  suitable.  His 
opinion  and  sagacity  have  been  fully  justified  by  the  unqualified 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned  with  the  choice  thus  made.  Our  field, 
then,  is  the  Valley  of  the  Ganges,  with  the  adjacent  hill  range, 
bounded  by  the  river  Ganges  on  the  west  and  south,  and  the  great 
Himalaya  Mountains  on  the  north — a tract  of  India  nearly  as  large 
as  England  without  Scotland,  being  nearly  four  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  long,  and  an  average  breadth  of  say  one  hundred  and  twenty 


214 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


miles,  containing  more  than  eighteen  millions  of  people,  who  are 
thus  left  in  our  hands  by  the  well-understood  courtesy  of  the  other 
Missionary  Societies  in  Europe  and  America,  who  respect  our  occu- 
pation, and  consider  us  pledged  to  bring  the  means  of  grace  and 
salvation  within  the  reach  of  these  dying  millions.  (The  reader’s 
attention  is  asked  to  the  Map  which  is  at  the  beginning  of  the 
volume  for  the  localities  intimated  within  or  near  the  scenes  of  the 
Ramayana  and  Mahabarata,  and  its  central  position,  in  the  very 
“throne  land  of  Rama,”  amid  the  most  important  of  India’s  “holy 
shrines,”  and  where  our  Christianity  can  tell  so  powerfully  upon 
the  entire  country.) 

On  my  way  to  Bareilly  I called  to  see  the  Missionaries  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  Church  at  Allahabad  ; and,  after  explaining 
my  plans  and  our  proposed  field,  I stated  to  them  how  much  I fell 
the  need  of  some  native  young  man  who  knew  a little  English — 
one  whom  I could  fully-  trust,  and  by  whose  aid  I might  do  some- 
thing while  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  brethren  to  be  sent  to  me 
from  America.  They  had  one  such  whom  they  thought,  under  the 
circumstances,  they  might  spare  for  such  a purpose,  though  he  was 
very  dear  to  them.  His  name  was  Joel.  They  kindly  introduced 
me  to  him,  and  at  once  my  heart  went  out  toward  him  as  just  the 
person  I needed.  I introduce  him  here  to  my  readers — my  faithful 
helper,  destined  to  become  the  first  native  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  India. 

Joel  had  been  taken  when  an  orphan  boy  by  the  missionaries, 
and  by  them  was  educated  and  trained.  He  was  at  this  time  about 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  married  to  Emma,  a lovely,  gentle  girl, 
four  years  younger  than  her  husband.  They  had  one  little  babe, 
and  lived  with  Emma’s  widowed  mother,  a good  Christian  woman 
called  “ Peggy,”  who  doted  upon  her  daughter,  all  the  more,  I sup- 
pose, because  she  was  so  fair  and  delicate.  I remember  them  dis- 
tinctly, because  they  were  the  first  Christianized  Hindoo  household 
beneath  whose  roof  I had  yet  sat  down,  and  they  seemed  such  a 
happy  family.  Joel  had  then  gained  so  much  of  the  English  lan- 
guage that,  by  speaking  slowly  and  using  simple  words,  I could 


JOEL. 


215 


Jokl — -from  a Photograph.) 

make  him  understand  me  with  tolerable  clearness.  He  seemed 
just  the  kind  of  native  assistant  that  I needed,  if  I could  but  obtain 
him.  But  I was  going  three  hundred  miles  farther  into  an  unex- 
plored region,  in  the  heart  of  the  country,  and  where  all  was  new 
and  untried.  The  proposition  to  take  him  away  from  the  friends 
of  his  youth,  and  from  Christian  services,  among  utter  strangers 


216 


TIIE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


and  heathens,  did  seem  rather  trying,  particularly  in  view  of  the 
general  native  timidity  to  go  far  from  home — for  that  distance,  and 
into  another  kingdom,  seems  to  them  almost  equal  to  changing 
their  nationality. 

The  case  was  laid  before  God,  and  his  direction  sought.  It  was 
then  intimated  to  Joel  himself,  and,  to  my  encouragement,  he  said 
he  would  be  willing,  but  that  he  did  not  know  how  Emma  would 
feel  about  it,  or — which  seemed  to  him  a greater  difficulty — what 
Emma’s  mother  would  say  to  the  proposal.  I feared  that  the 
mother’s  objection  would  be  insuperable.  However,  I sent  Joel  to 
consult  Emma  first,  and  the  faithful,  brave  little  wife  at  once  con- 
sented to  go  where  he  would  go.  Then  came  the  test  on  which  all 
depended  for  success.  I resolved  to  accompany  Joel  to  Peggy’s 
residence,  to  be  .present  when  the  proposal  was  made  through 
Brother  Owen,  who  interpreted  for  me. 

When  we  entered  her  humble  home  and  sat  down,  she  greeted 
us  with  her  sweet  smile,  and  there  was  a pause.  Joel  looked  at  me 
and  I at  him,  but  for  a few  minutes  I could  not  begin.  The  lonely 
widow  would  be  so  much  more  lonely  when  the  dutiful  and  affec- 
tionate daughter  who  sat  there  would  be  far  away.  This,  with  the 
possibility  that  she  should  see  her  no  more,  and  that  the  sacrifice 
was  almost  too  much  to  ask,  seeming  as  it  did,  in  some  humble 
sense,  to  rank  with  the  class  of  self-sacrifices  which  required  him 
of  old  to  take  his  son,  his  “ only  son  Isaac,”  whom  he  loved,  to  give 
him  up  to  duty  and  to  God,  made  my  task  a painful  one.  The 
hesitation  to  speak  was  embarrassing,  but  it  had  to  be  done;  so, 
with  an  anxious  heart  and  some  serious  doubts,  I began  and  told 
her  where  I was  going;  that  I had  no  aid  of  any  kind  with  which 
to  begin  God’s  work  in  the  great  Valley  of  the  Ganges,  and  what 
a treasure  and  help  some  suitable  young  man  would  be  to  me, 
enabling  me  to  speak  to  the  people  at  once  about  Christ,  and  aid- 
ing me  to  gain  the  language,  and  assisting  in  every  way.  Then, 
her  attention  and  interest  being  fixed,  I ventured  to  make  the  pro- 
posal which  was  to  lacerate  her  feelings  and  to  try  her  faith  ; and  I 
said  to  her,  “ Joel  is  my  choice;  I have  met  no  one  who  can  help 


PEGGY'S  SACRIFICE  FOR  IIEIi  5.1  VI OUR.  21  7 

me  as  he  can  ; he  is  willing  to  go  with  me,  and  so  is  Emma,  if  you 
can  only  give  your  consent.” 

Woman  has  made  many  and  great  sacrifices  for  Jesus,  and 
largely  by  such  sacrifices  has  the  cause  of  truth  and  purity  been 
advanced  among  men.  Since  holy  Simeon  said  to  the  mother  of 
the  Lord’s  Christ,  “ Yea,  a sword  shall  pierce  through  thine  own 
soul  also,”  how  many  mothers,  especially  in  resigning  their  chil- 
dren for  the  service  of  God  at  home  or  in  distant  lands,  or  those 
again  in  parting  with  their  little  ones  that  they  might  go  there,  or 
stay  there — how  many  such  in  these  Christian  sacrifices  have  felt 
this  anguish  pierce  their  maternal  sympathies  when,  as  true  follow- 
ers of  the  Divine  Father,  “who  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  freely 
delivered  him  up  for  us  all,”  they  have  surrendered  their  loved  ones 
to  the  Lord’s  work,  enduring  their  pungent  sorrows,  and  trying  to 
say,  “ My  Saviour,  I do  this  for  thee  !” 

Compared  with  such  offerings,  how  poor  and  small,  and  easily 
parted  with,  were  the  sacrifices  of  Jewish  saints ! They  had  only 
to  surrender  their  corn,  or  wine,  or  oil,  the  best  of  their  barn-yards 
or  their  flocks,  or  a money  equivalent,  for  their  first-born.  None 
of  these,  save  in  such  a case  as  Hannah’s,  went  deeper  than  the 
purse.  They  were  only  property  ; they  left  the  heart  unscathed  ; 
they  cost  no  tears,  and  inflicted  no  anguish.  But  it  is  different 
with  Christian  saints,  who  follow  a self-denying  Saviour,  and  who 
for  his  sake  are  willing  to  bear  this  peculiar  cross.  How  amply 
compensated  will  such  mothers  feel  when,  in  the  presence  of  Him  for 
whom  they  made  these  sacrifices,  they  shall  see  the  sons  or  daugh- 
ters whom  they  resigned  to  the  work  of  God,  after  having  turned 
many  to  righteousness,  “ shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever ! ” 

A spark  of  this  Christ-like  grace  in  the  soul  of  a humble  woman, 
once  a heathen,  can  produce  the  same  blessed  spirit  of  self-sacrifice 
as  that  which  animates  the  breasts  of  the  most  cultured  ladies  of 
Christendom  ; while  her  prompt  and  noble  reply  puts  to  the  blush 
the  selfishness  of  some  mothers  in  this  land,  who  have  dared  to 
stand  between  their  children  and  convictions  of  duty  to  God  and  a 
dying  world. 


12. 


2l8 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


When  the  painful  question  was  presented  to  Peggy,  after  a 
momentary  natural  struggle,  showing  how  conscious  she  was  ot 
the  sacrifice,  she  answered  me  with  tears — and  I would  write  the 
poor  widow’s  words  in  letters  of  gold  if  I could  : “ Sahib,  (Sir,  a 
title  of  respect,)  the  Saviour  came  down  from  heaven  to  give  him- 
self for  me,  and  why  should  not  I give  my  daughter  to  his  work  ? 


JOEL'S  EXPERIENCE. 


219 


It  is  a pleasure  to  introduce  here  the  likeness  of  the  devoted 
woman  whose  words  I have  quoted,  and  whose  conduct  so  encour- 
aged my  heart  that  day. 

Joel  and  Emma  and  their  babe  accompanied  me  to  Rohilcund. 
As  we  were  starting,  the  good  missionaries  by  whom  he  had  been 
educated,  and  who  appreciated  the  gift  they  were  conferring,  play- 
fully intimated  that  Joel  had  been  trained  a Presbyterian,  knew  the 
Westminster  Catechism,  and  was  sound  on  the  Five  Points  of  Cal- 
vinism, and  that  they  would  naturally  expect  him  to  continue  in 
the  faith,  even  though  he  was  going  with  a Methodist  missionary ! 
In  reply,  I told  them  that  I was  more  concerned  for  his  religious 
welfare  than  for  his  special  theological  opinions — a clear  conversion 
was  of  more  moment  to  me  than  a creed  ; but  that  his  views  I 
would  not,  under  the  circumstances,  interfere  with  in  any  way. 
Nor  did  I ever  do  so.  I felt  assured  these  things  would  regulate 
themselves  thereafter. 

On  our  arrival  at  Bareilly  I commenced  a little  class-meeting, 
but  soon  found  that  Joel  did  not  seem  quite  at  home,  and  had  but 
little  to  say  in  the  exercise.  So  I drew  him  into  private  conversation, 
explained  what  we  meant  by  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
put  into  his  hands  the  “ Memoir  of  William  Carvosso,”  telling  him 
that  it  was  composed  in  very  easy  English,  and  was  regarded  by  us 
as  one  of  the  best  books  ever  written  to  illustrate  the  faith  that 
saves,  advising  him  to  read  it  through  twice,  and  then  tell  me  what 
he  thought  of  it.  He  did  so  ; but  before  he  finished  the  second 
reading  told  me  there  was  something  described  there  which  he  had 
not  experienced.  He  had  feared  God  from  his  youth,  respected 
the  Christian  religion,  attended  the  means  of  grace,  was  moral  and 
upright,  and  would  stand  up  for  Christ  and  advocate  his  cause,  but 
to  say  that  he  knew  God  as  his  reconciled  Father  was  what  he  had 
never  been  able  to  profess.  He  now  saw  its  necessity,  and  began 
to  seek  it  with  all  earnestness.  Before  long  he  found  it,  and  was 
enabled  to  testify  that  the  “ Spirit  witnessed  with  his  spirit  that  he 
was  a child  of  God.”  Of  course  the  class-meeting  was  now  appre- 
ciated, and  from  that  hour  to  the  present,  firm  and  faithful  has  been 


220 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


the  character  which  he  has  borne  among  his  brethren.  Called  by 
God  to  preach  his  Gospel,  he  has  done  so  in  its  own  spirit.  I have 
often  seen  him  antagonized  by  bitter-minded  Brahmins  and  Moon- 
shees,  using  harsh  and  vexatious  language  toward  him  and  his 
cause,  but  never  ruffled  or  thrown  off  his  guard.  “ The  meekness 
and  gentleness  of  Christ”  has  been  his  protection  on  these  occa- 
sions, while,  with  his  Bible  in  his  hand — -just  as  represented  in  the 
picture — he  is  ready  for  all  comers  ; and  in  the  battles  of  the  Lord 
with  the  enemies  of  the  truth  he  has  never  turned  his  back  or 
sounded  a retreat — “a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ”  truly. 

As  to  his  Calvinism,  Joel  had  read  Watson  on  “General  Re- 
demption,” and  sustained  his  Conference  examination  upon  the 
theme,  and  when  Bishop  Thomson  laid  his  hand  upon  his  head  he 
ordained  a true  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  who  believed  as  cordially 
as  did  the  Bishop  himself  that  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  the  same  sense 
and  with  the  same  intention,  died  for  every  human  being.  His 
fidelity  and  his  progress  must  be  an  occasion  of  gratitude  to  those 
who  gave  him  his  early  training,  and  toward  whom  he  will  ever 
entertain  the  gratitude  that  is  justly  due. 


IN  PERILS. 


221 


CHAPTER  V. 

“IN  PERILS  BY  THE  HEATHEN,  IN  PERILS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS.” 

N our  arrival  at  Bareilly  in  January,  1857,  wc  were  most 


kindly  received  by  the  Judge — Mr.  Robertson — a member 
of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland.  He  took  11s  into  his  home,  and 
entertained  us  until  we  could  obtain  a house  and  furnish  it.  He 
was  greatly  delighted  at  our  coming,  for  he  believed  in  Missions, 
and  in  the  power  of  the  Gospel  to  reach  the  hearts  of  the  heathen. 
For  more  than  thirty  years  he  had  been  in  the  civil  service,  knew 
the  people  well,  and  spoke  their  language  with  great  fluency.  His 
advice  and  opinions  on  our  work  were  freely  given  and  gratefully 
accepted,  and  it  was  evident  that  we  might  ever  count  him  among 
the  truest  friends  of  our  Mission. 

We  entered  our  own  home  just  ten  weeks  before  the  Rebellion 
occurred  ; settled  all  things  for  our  work,  put  up  my  valued  library 
in  its  place,  and  began  to  study  the  language,  little  dreaming  that 
so  soon  our  comfortable  arrangements  would  be  consigned  to  the 
flames,  and  we  be  homeless  and  hunted  for  our  lives  on  the  adjoin- 
ing mountains  ! 

Yet,  we  might  have  been  awakened  from  our  sense  of  security 
by  many  events  around  us.  In  particular,  one  day  a native  gentle- 
man called  at  our  house  and  held  a conversation,  Joel  interpreting, 
in  which  I was  given  to  understand  that  my  coming  among  them 
was  regarded  by  the  people  of  Bareilly  with  considerable  anxiety  ; 
that  for  some  time  they  had  been  led  to  believe  the  English  Gov- 
ernment had  hostile  intentions  toward  their  faith,  and  really 
intended,  by  force  or  fraud,  to  break  their  caste  and  destroy  their 
religion  ; and  the  supposition  was,  that  I had  been  brought  there 
by  the  Government  to  be  ready,  when  their  caste  was  broken,  to 
baptize  them,  and  so  complete  their  Christianization ! 


222 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


My  earnest  denial  of  any  connection  with  the  Government  was 
received  with  a look  of  suspicion,  for  they  confounded  every  white* 
man  (then  few  and  far  between  in  India)  with  the  Government ; 
and  when  I proceeded  to  assure  him  that  I was  not  even  an  English- 
man, the  Hindoo  looked  at  me  and  exclaimed,  “Why,  Sahib,  your 
face  is  white,  you  talk  the  English  language,  and  are  by  religion  a 
Christian  ; what  else  can  you  be  but  an  Englishman  ?”  I told  him 
I was  an  American  ; but,  more  confused  still,  he  asked,  “A  what  ?” 

“ Why,  an  American.”  He  had  never  heard  the  word  before,  nor 
perhaps  one  in  ten  thousand  of  his  race,  and  he  inquired  what  “an 
American”  meant.  He  had  no  idea  there  was  any  other  nation 
than  England  talking  the  same  language  and  as  white  as  they,  and 
who  were  also  Christians.  This  was  generally  true  of  his  country- 
men then.  But  when,  five  years  after,  “the  cotton  famine”  raised 
so  wonderfully  the  value  of  their  staple,  and  the  Hindoo  farmer 
began  to  receive  two,  and  even  three,  rupees  for  the  same  quantity 
of  cotton  for  which  he  obtained  only  one  the  year  before,  men 
opened  their  eyes  and  began  to  study  geography,  to  find  out  that 
there  was  a nation,  and  a great  one,  beyond  England,  whose  faces 
were  white  and  who  spoke  the  English  language,  and  were  Chris- 
tians too.  So  that  our  civil  war  in  this  country  woke  up  the 
dormant  intellect  of  ten  thousand  homes  in  the  depths  of  India, 
and  led  men  to  inquire  and  study,  and  so  far  stimulated  education, 
and  showed  its  value,  as  no  foreign  event  for  hundreds  of  years  pre- 
viously had  done. 

But  in  1857  the  cotton  famine  had  not  occurred,  and  my  Hindoo 
visitor  was  perplexed.  Notwithstanding  the  general  confidence 
they  have  in  the  truthfulness  of  the  white  faces,  I have  reason  to 
think  that  this  man  left  my  dwelling  under  the  conviction  that  I 
had  tried  to  deceive  him  ; that  I was  what  he  supposed,  and  had 
denied  it  to  screen  myself  and  my  purpose.  It  is  probable  that 
that  interview  and  its  impressions  exposed  my  family  and  myself 
to  their  more  special  vengeance  when  the  day  came. 

With  Joel’s  aid  I commenced  the  work,  hoping  to  have  some- 
thing done  by  the  time  the  first  party  of  our  brethren  should  reach 


THE  GREASED  CARTRIDGES. 


223 


us  from  America.  On  the  Sabbath  we  had  two  services— at  eleven 
o’clock  in  the  Hindustanee  language,  conducted  by  Joel,  at  which 
our  family  and  a few  natives  attended  ; after  this  service  we  had 
our  class-meeting,  led  by  myself,  six  persons  (Mrs.  B.,  Joel  and 
his  wife,  Ann,  and  Isaac,  and  Maria)  being  present,  Joel  translat- 
ing for  me  what  had  to  be  said  in  Hindustanee.  In  the  afternoon 
I held  a little  English  service,  at  which  a few  of  the  officers  and 
civilians  attended.  On  Tuesday  evening,  also,  we  had  an  Hindus- 
tanee service,  and  an  English  one  on  Thursday.  Ihus  our  work 
opened,  but  it  was  truly  “ the  day  of  small  things.” 

The  year  in  which  I arrived  in  India  saw  the  introduction  ot  new 
arrangements  for  arming  the  Sepoy  army.  Instead  of  the  old 
“ Brown  Bess,”  or  regulation  musket,  with  which  they  had  hitherto 
fought  the  battles  of  the  British,  the  rulers  of  India  concluded  to 
arm  their  Sepoys  with  the  new  Enfield  rifle.  For  this  weapon  a 
peculiar  cartridge  had  to  be  prepared,  samples  of  which  had  been 
sent  out  from  England  to  be  manufactured  at  the  arsenal  of  Dum 
Dum,  eisrht  miles  from  Calcutta.  The  rifles  were  distributed  to  the 
forces,  and  the  wily  Fakirs,  ever  on  the  look-out  for  something  new 
to  foment  disaffection  and  distrust,  at  once  declared  that  these,  too, 
were  a part  of  the  insidious  plan  to  injure  their  faith.  The  Sepoys 
received  them  with  suspicion.  Lock,  stock,  and  barrel  were  taken 
asunder  and  carefully  scrutinized,  but  nothing  dangerous  to  their 
faith  could  be  discovered.  Yet  the  Fakirs  had  assured  them  there 
was  danger,  and  that  settled  the  matter. 

Then  came  the  intense  excitement  about  the  “greased  cartridges” 
for  these  guns,  the  purpose  being,  I suppose,  to  lubricate  the  bore 
of  the  rifle.  It  was  given  out  that  this  grease  was  “a  compound 
of  hogs’  lard  and  bullocks’  fat.”  Only  those  who  have  lived  among 
these  people,  and  realized  what  a horror  the  Mohammedan  has  of 
the  hog,  and  what  a reverence  the  Hindoo  has  for  the  cow,  can 
appreciate  the  storm  of  excitement  and  frenzy  this  simple  an- 
nouncement caused  through  the  whole  Bengal  army.  The  Fakirs 
exultantly  pointed  to  the  alleged  fact  as  corroborating  all  they  had 
asserted  of  the  designs  of  the  English  against  their  religions. 


224 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


I 

It  has  never  been  definitely  settled  whether  the  charge  as  to  the 
composition  of  the  unguent  was  correct  or  not.  The  Government 
did  what  it  could  to  allay  the  excitement  and  fears  of  the  Sepoys, 
even  to  the  withdrawal  of  the  obnoxious  cartridges,  offering  the 
men  the  right  to  make  them  up  themselves  with  such  grease  as 
was  not  offensive  to  them.  But  it  was  all  too  late  ; midnight  meet- 
ings now  began  to  be  held  and  plans  of  resistance  discussed,  and 
immediate  and  open  mutiny  was  proposed. 

General  Hearsev  at  Barrackpore,  by  a well-timed  and  judicious 
address  to  the  Sepoys  of  his  command,  in  which  he  showed  them 
the  folly  of  supposing  the  Government  inclined  to  attempt  their 
forcible  conversion,  and  the  Governor  General  by.  proclamation  to 
the  whole  army,  tried  to  arrest  the  fearful  tendency  of  affairs,  and 
tranquilize  the  troops  ; but  the  effect  was  temporary.  The  lull  was 
only  the  prelude  to  the  storm.  The  General’s  manly  and  straight- 
forward address  to  the  men,  with  whom  he  had  served  nearly  forty 
years,  ought,  if  any  thing  could  have  done  so  then,  to  have  satisfied 
and  appeased  them.  He  told  them,  among  other  things,  that  “ the 
English  are  Christians  of  the  Book,  (that  is,  Protestants,)  and 
Christians  of  the  Book  admit  no  proselytes,  and  baptize  none, 
except  those  who  fully  understand  and  believe  in  the  tenets  therein 
inculcated.” 

But  rebellion  was  a foregone  conclusion  with  these  infatuated 
men  ; so  they  dissembled  and  professed  to  be  “koosh”  (pleased) 
with  his  address,  yet  they  only  awaited  their  hour.  Twenty  days 
after  this,  on  that  same  parade  ground,  a Brahmin  Sepoy  named 
Mungul  Pandy  turned  out  armed,  and  in  the  presence  of  his  regi- 
ment, not  a man  of  whom  interfered  to  save  their  officers  or  to  arrest 
the  Sepoy,  shed  the  first  blood  of  the  Rebellion  by  firing  on  and 
wounding  Adjutant  Baugh  and  Sergeant-Major  Hewson.  The  firing 
drew  General  Hearsey  and  his  son  to  the  spot.  Mungul  took  aim 
at  the  General,  who  drew  his  sword,  and  with  the  words,  “John,  if 
I fall,  rush  upon  him  and  put  him  to  death,”  spurred  his  horse  for- 
ward. The  man  was  overpowered,  and  after  attempting  suicide  was 
tried  and  executed,  and  died  refusing  to  make  any  statement  to 


ME  TllODS  EM  PL  0 YED. 


225 


implicate  his  comrades,  who  were  known  to  sympathize  with 
him. 

We  heard  all  this,  and  as  the  toils  closed  around  us,  began  fully 
to  realize  how  helpless  we  were,  and  how  entirely  in  the  power  of 
those  people  and  their  instruments.  In  addition  to  the  officials 
connected  with  the  public  offices  already  mentioned,  there  were 
any  number  of  Moulvies  and  Moonshees,  connected  with  the 
mosques  and  with  tuition,  available  for  their  purposes.  These  men 
could  control  the  consciences  of  the  Moslem  servants  in  our  fam- 
ilies— the  servants,  of  course,  had  eyes  and  ears — so  that,  while  we 
lived  in  entire  ignorance  of  what  they  said,  or  did,  or  purposed,  our 
whole  life  lay  open  to  our  enemies,  and  our  domestic  conversations 
could  be  reported  to  them  daily.  The  influence  of  the  Nana  Sahib, 
and  other  Hindoo  authorities,  could  equally  operate  through  their 
Pundits  and  Priests,  and  we  were  helpless  between  the  two,  as  the 
full  glare  of  observation  and  suspicion  fell  upon  us,  while  those  who 
watched  every  movement,  and  waited  for  our  lives,  could  stand 
back  in  the  shade  and  work  in  darkness. 

One  of  the  methods  employed  was  the  fabrication  and  diffusion 
of  false  news  and  prophecies.  All  that  they  required  was  tem- 
porary effect  to  rouse  the  fanaticism  of  the  fighting  class  to  a 
white  heat  of  fury,  until  they  committed  themselves.  As  the 
Sepoys  were  utterly  ignorant,  and  their  minds  entirely  under  the 
influence  of  their  Fakirs,  whom  they  believed  implicitly,  nothing 
promulgated  by  them  was  too  monstrous  for  belief.  For  instance, 
it  was  asserted  that  “ the  English  had  imported  several  cargoes  of 
flour  mixed  with  bones,  which  had  been  ground  fine,  and  one  mor- 
sel of  which  would  destroy  the  caste  of  any  man  that  “ this  flour 
had  been  covertly  introduced,  and  was  then  on  sale  in  all  the  lead- 
ing bazaars,  but  so  well  disguised  that  even  those  who  bought  and 
sold  it  could  not  discover  the  difference!”  All  this  was  believed. 
It  was  no  use  denying  it,  or  asking  them  to  trace  it,  or  name  the 
ship  that  brought  it,  or  who  had  landed  it ; it  was  enough  that  the 
Fakirs  had  said  it ; it  was  certainly  so.  Thus  Brahmin  and  Sepoy 
bought  their  food  with  suspicion,  and  eat  it  with  fear.  Another 

S' 


226 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


report  was,  that  there  was  a plan  for  transporting  to  India  the 
numerous  widows  of  the  Englishmen  slain  in  the  Crimea.  The 
principal  zemindars  (landholders)  of  the  country  were  to  be  com- 
pelled to  marry  them,  and  their  children,  who  would  not  of  course 
be  Hindoos,  were  to  be  declared  the  heirs  of  the  estates  ; and  thus 
the  territorial  rights  of  the  people  of  India,  as  well  as  their  religion, 
were  to  be  annihilated  ! With  much  more  of  the  same  sort. 

Prophecies  were  invented,  and  arrangements  made  to  fulfill  them. 
The  leading  one  was,  that  “ the  power  which  rose  on  the  battle-field 
of  Plassey  should  fall  on  the  centennial  anniversary  of  that  great 
day.”  Another  form  of  it,  that  better  suited  the  Mohammedan 
mind,  was,  that  “ on  the  hundredth  anniversary  of  Plassey  the 
power  that  rose  should  fall,  and  the  power  that  fell  should  rise.” 
The  meaning  of  all  this  is  clear  enough. 

Allegorical  expressions  in  letters  and  remarks  were  much  used, 
such  as  “ Pearls  (that  is,  white-faces)  are  quoted  as  low  in  the  mar- 
ket ; Red  Wheat  (that  is,  colored-faces)  is  looking  up.”  Then  in 
February  came  that  singular  movement,  the  circulation  of  the 
“ Chupatties,”  (small  unleavened  cakes,)  the  full  significance  of 
which  has  never  been  explained.  Each  recipient  of  two  cakes  was 
to  make  ten  others,  and  transmit  them  in  couples  to  the  Chokey- 
dars  (constables)  of  the  nearest  village,  and  they  to  others,  so  that 
in  a few  days  the  little  cakes  were  distributed  all  over  the  country, 
causing  amazing  excitement.  It  was  known  that  sugar  had  been 
used  as  a signal  for  the  Vellore  mutiny,  (July,  1806.)  And  the 
idea  of  thus  conveying  a warning  to  be  in  readiness  for  a precon- 
certed rising,  had  precedent  enough  in  the  “ P’east  of  the  Moon 
Loaves,”  still  held  in  commemoration  of  a similar  device,  in  the 
conspiracy  by  which  the  Mogul  dynasty  was  overthrown  five  hun- 
dred years  ago  in  China,  as  the  reader  will  find  narrated  in  Gabet 
and  Huq’s  “Travels  in  Tartary,”  chapter  iii.  No  other  explana- 
tion has  ever  been  given  of  this  singular  transaction. 

Ivvery  supernatural  means  to  which  they  looked  for  aid  and 
direction  were  invoked  and  propitiated  to  lend  their  help  in  the 
coming  struggle.  Ifunooman’s  assistance  was  confidently  expected 


TIIE  MOTIVES  USED. 


227 


to  render  them  invincible  when  they  should  cross  bayonets  with  the 
dreaded  white-faces.  So  they  sharpened  their  weapons,  lawful  and 
unlawful,  and  awaited  the  day. 

Meanwhile  the  more  intelligent  and  elevated  of  the  conspirators 
cautiously  sounded  the  native  princes  of  the  semi-independent 
States,  to  enable  them  to  understand  what  part  they  would  proba- 
bly take  in  the  great  effort.  Suitable  motives  were  carefully 
held  out  to  them,  and  also  to  the  nobles  and  military  classes, 
founded  upon  freedom  from  annexation,  restoration  of  ancient 
dynasties,  the  bitter  payment  of  old  grievances,  with  patronage 
and  rank  when  the  Mogul  should  have  “ his  own  again,”  and  be 
once  more  paramount  in  India.  The  Sepoys  were  promised  pro- 
motion, higher  pay,  and  better  times  generally  : the  Priests  were 
assured  of  a deliverance  forever  from  the  growing  power  of  Chris- 
tianity, or  even  its  presence,  with  a swift  reversal  of  those  enact- 
ments which  had  so  seriously  curtailed  their  dignity  and  perquisites, 
in  usages  and  rites  which  humanity  had  swept  away.  The  loose 
and  vagabond  classes  (called  “Budmashes”)  were  linked  in  with 
the  enterprise  by  promises  of  license  and  plunder;  and  it  was  not  a 
secret  that  they  disputed  together  in  advance  as  to  the  particular 
shares  to  which  they  should  become  entitled.  Even  the  criminals 
in  the  jails  were  to  become  personally  interested  in  the  results. 
In  Bareilly,  where  we  lived,  was  the  great  central  jail,  containing 
nearly  three  thousand,  the  convicts  of  the  province  of  Rohilcund, 
with  its  eight  millions  of  people.  These  wretches,  confined  there 
for  all  crimes,  from  murder  downward,  understood  that  their  time 
would  come  to  be  avenged  upon  the  Government  and  the  race  that 
were  punishing  them.  None  can  say  now  how  we  gained  the 
information,  only  that  “a  bird  of  the  air”  would  carry  such  a mat- 
ter ; but  weeks  in  advance  of  our  flight  from  Bareilly,  the  English 
ladies  had  heard  that  those  wretched  criminals,  in  their  chains  and 
cells,  understood  that  they  were  to  be  let  loose  upon  the  day  of  the 
mutiny,  receiving  their  liberty  on  condition  of  consummating  the 
atrocities  which  the  high  caste  of  the  Sepoys  prohibited  them  from 
perpetrating.  And,  accordingly,  let  loose  they  were  on  that  dreadful 


228 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


31st  of  May  ; but,  thank  Heaven ! we  had  been  led  by  a merciful 
Providence  to  anticipate  the  infernal  intention,  and  removed  to  a 
place  of  safety  nearly  all  of  those  whom  they  intended  to  victimize. 
Alas  ! for  the  few  women  and  children  who,  tardy  in  their  flight, 
did  fall  into  their  fiendish  hands  on  that  ever  memorable  afternoon. 

Incendiary  fires  in  the  officers’  quarters,  which  Sepoys  refused  to 
aid  in  extinguishing,  now  became  matters  of  nightly  occurrence  in 
different  stations.  Partial  mutinies  took  place  at  Fort  William, 
Berhampore,  and  Lucknow,  until,  on  the  10th  of  April,  the  three 
regiments  stationed  at  Meerut  (near  our  position  at  Bareilly)  rose 
and  set  fire  to  the  houses,  shot  some  of  their  officers,  and  then 
ruthlessly  murdered  all  the  Europeans  on  whom  they  could  lay 
their  cruel  hands,  men,  women,  and  children,  over  forty  in  number. 
All  this  was  done  in  a station  where  there  were  European  troops 
within  one  mile  of  this  scene  of  blood,  and  yet  the  miserable  old 
General  who  commanded  was  so  stupefied  that  he  would  not 
permit  his  men  either  to  attack  or  pursue  them  ! So  the  Sepoys 
hurried  up  their  work  undisturbed,  and  marched  off  to  Delhi. 
They  reached  that  city  the  next  day.  Here  the  other  Sepoy  troops, 
five  thousand  in  number,  joined  them,  and,  taking  their  artillery, 
they  proceeded  to  the  palace  of  the  Emperor,  where  they  hauled 
down  the  old  flag  of  England,  ran  up  the  green  standard  of  the 
Moslem,  and  fired  a royal  salute  in  honor  of  the  resumption 
of  Mohammedan  sovereignty  in  India.  They  then  began  one 
of  the  most  ruthless  and  fiendish  massacres  of  the  Europeans 
which  even  Delhi  (the  city  of  cruelty)  had  ever  witnessed.  The 
Shazadahs  were  foremost  in  this  devilish  work,  which  was  done 
chiefly  in  public,  before  thousands  of  raging  foes,  at  the  Kotwallee 
(Police  Station)  of  the  city.  All  the  Europeans  within  the  palace 
were  slaughtered,  with  the  concurrence,  if  not  by  the  orders,  of  the 
Emperor,  including  the  English  Embassador,  the  Chaplain,  Mr. 
Jennings  and  his  daughter,  and  Miss  Clifford — the  latter  said  to  be 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  English  ladies  then  in  the  East. 

Amid  the  record  of  these  horrors,  it  makes  one  feel  proud  of  his 
Anglo-Saxon  blood  to  think  of  some  of  the  daring  deeds  which 


WILLOUGHBY'S  DEFENSE. 


229 


were  clone  against  such  fearful  odds,  and  in  the  face  of  almost 
certain  death.  One  of  the  most  notable  of  these  was  Lieutenant 
Willoughby’s  defense  of  the  Delhi  magazine  on  that  dreadful  day. 
I know  the  place,  and  enjoy  the  honor  of  a personal  acquaintance 
with  some  of  the  brave  men  whom  he  commanded  then.  I have 
also  had  the  privilege,  in  company  with  one  of  the  survivors,  to 
wander  over  the  ruins  into  which  he  blew  the  whole  structure  when 
he  found  he  could  not  save  it  for  his  country. 

There  were  no  European  troops  in  Delhi  to  oppose  the  entrance 
of  the  red-handed  Sepoys  that  day  ; none,  except  the  nine  men  in 
charge  of  the  magazine,  and  which  it  was  of  the  first  moment  to 
Sepoy  success  that  they  should  seize.  In  the  Lieutenant’s  judg- 
ment it  was  of  equal  importance  to  his  nation  that  they  should 
never  have  it,  and  his  resolution  was  promptly  taken,  that,  if  it  cost 
his  life  and  the  lives  of  those  under  his  orders,  it  never  should  be 
surrendered.  The  names  of  the  eight  heroes  whom  he  commanded 
were  Lieutenants  Forrest  and  Raynor;  Conductors  Buckley,  Shaw, 
Scully,  and  Crow  ; Sergeants  Edwards  and  Stewart.  He  first  put 
his  guns  and  howitzers  in  position  for  the  defense  of  the  place,  and 
then,  so  as  to  be  prepared  for  the  worst,  laid  his  trains  to  connect 
all  parts  of  the  magazine.  A handful  of  native  assistants  happened 
then  to  be  with  them  in  the  magazine,  whom  they  could  not  open 
the  gates  to  turn  out,  for  they  soon  discovered  that  they  were  play- 
ing them  false  ; so  they  had  to  watch  them  also.  The  firing  and  yells 
resounded  all  over  the  city,  coming  nearer  and  nearer  to  them. 
But  there  these  men  stood,  with  one  hope  in  their  hearts,  that  the 
European  troops  whom  they  knew  to  be  at  Meerut  would  follow 
up  the  mutineers,  and  that  they  might  be  able  to  hold  out  till  they 
arrived,  and  so  save  the  magazine  and  Delhi  too.  Vain  hope — 
they  came  not.  Soon  the  Palace  Guards  were  thundering  at  the 
gates,  and,  in  the  name  of  the  Emperor,  demanded  the  surrender  of 
the  magazine.  No  reply  was  given.  The  mutineers  then  brought 
scaling  ladders  from  the  Palace,  and  the  Sepoys  swarmed  up  upon 
the  high  walls  all  around  them. 

One  of  the  bastions  commanded  a view  of  the  country  toward 


230 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Meerut — a long  reach  of  the  road  could  be  seen  from  it.  There 
Willoughby  took  his  position.  Conductor  Scully  had  volunteered 
to  fire  the  train,  should  the  last  emergency  come.  There  he  stood, 
with  his  lighted  port-fire  in  his  hand,  watching  every  movement  of 
his  chief.  Seeing  all  was  lost,  and  chafing  with  impatience,  in 
presence  of  the  raging  foes  around  upon  the  walls,  he  would  now 
and  then  cry  out,  “Shall  I fire  her,  sir?”  But  the  Lieutenant, 
who  still  hoped  for  the  sight  of  help  from  Meerut,  would  reply, 
“ Not  yet,  Scully — not  yet.”  The  despairing  but  brave  man  would 
again  look  along  the  road  and  sigh,  while  Scully  watched  for  the 
signal. 

Lieutenant  Forrest,  with  the  other  six  men,  worked  the  guns. 
The  gallant  little  band  never  once  thought  of  betraying  their  trust 
by  capitulation.  The  escalade  from  without  was  the  signal  for  a 
similar  movement  from  the  traitorous  natives  within.  In  the  confu- 
sion they  managed  to  hide  the  priming  pouches  ; they  then  deserted 
the  Europeans,  climbing  up  the  sloped  sheds  on  the  inside  of  the 
magazine,  and  descending  by  the  ladders  without.  The  insurgents 
had  by  this  time  swelled  into  multitudes  upon  the  walls,  pouring  a 
deadly  musketry  discharge  upon  them  at  less  than  fifty  yards,  but 
the  brave  besieged  kept  up  an  incessant  fire  of  grape,  which  told 
well.  At  length  Conductor  Buckley — who  had  been  loading  and 
firing  with  the  same  steadiness  as  if  on  parade — received  a ball  in 
his  arm  ; and  Lieutenant  Forrest  was  at  the  same  time  struck  by 
two  balls.  Further  defense  was  hopeless.  No  help  from  Meerut. 
Lieutenant  Willoughby  saw  that  the  supreme  moment  had  arrived. 
He  lifted  his  hat,  which  was  the  signal,  and  Conductor  Scully 
instantly  fired  the  trains,  and  with  an  explosion  that  shook  all 
Delhi,  up  went  the  magazine  into  the  air,  and  its  vast  resources 
were  annihilated.  From  five  hundred  to  one  thousand  Sepoys  on 
the  walls  were  killed,  and  every  thing  around  destroyed.  Wil- 
loughby, Forrest,  and  Buckley,  though  wounded,  actually  escaped 
death,  and  managed  to  crawl  from  beneath  the  smoking  ruins 
under  cover  of  night,  and  retreated  through  the  sally-port  on  the 
river-face,  and  Forrest  and  Buckley  lived  to  tell  the  story  of  their 


PROVIDENTIAL  COMPENSATION.  23 1 

great  deed.  Lieutenant  Willoughby  himself  was  killed  in  a village 
close  to  Delhi.  No  trace  of  Scully  or  the  rest  was  ever  found. 

This  was  a great  service  for  the  English  cause,  but  could  not 
turn  the  tide  for  them.  Unfortunately,  there  was  an  arsenal  and 
an  immense  park  of  artillery  in  another  part  of  the  city,  both  which 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  mutineers  ; while  the  sixty  thousand  Sepoys 
who  soon  found  their  way  to  Delhi  brought  with  them  from  other 
cities  abundant  munitions  for  its  defense. 

After  the  destruction  of  the  magazine,  the  murder  of  the  officers 
and  missionaries  and  other  Europeans,  the  violation  of  their  wives 
and  daughters,  and  the  spoliation  and  burning  of  their  homes, 
was  proceeded  with.  Then  followed  the  demolition  of  the  courts 
of  law,  the  church,  the  college,  and  the  printing-office,  and  deeds 
were  done  that  day  which  devils  themselves  might  blush  to  own. 
It  was  an  unutterable  woe;  yet  it  was  not  without  its  great 
compensation. 

There  is  a permissive  providence  of  our  God  which  sometimes 
allows  a limited  calamity  to  fall  upon  individuals  and  communities 
in  order  to  preserve  them  from  a sorrow  that  would  be  overwhelm- 
ing and  unmitigated:  in  the  sense  of  Caiaphas’s  words,  “ It  is  expe- 
dient that  one  man  die  for  the  people,”  etc.  But  in  such  cases,  and 
indeed  in  general,  it  requires  that  we  patiently  wait  until  time  gives 
the  Almighty  the  requisite  opportunity  to  be  his  own  interpreter. 
We  could  not  then  understand  God.  In  the  midst  of  these  agonies 
it  seemed  as  if  he  had  “ forgotten  to  be  gracious,  and  in  anger  had 
shut  up  his  tender  mercies.”  But  what  light  the  succeeding  events, 
and  the  history  of  the  last  dozen  years,  have  shed  upon  his  over- 
ruling providence  and  his  wise  designs  ! 

Two  facts  of  this  class  belong  just  here:  one  general,  and  one 
particular  to  ourselves.  But  for  the  anticipation  on  the  part  of  the 
Meerut  mutineers  of  the  contemplated  universal  rising,  it  seems  to 
me  that  not  a Christian  life  could  have  been  preserved  in  all  India. 
Had  they  patiently  waited  till  the  31st  of  May,  and  all  had  risen,  as 
was  intended,  so  that  on  the  same  day  and  hour,  in  every  place, 
they  had  commenced  their  work  of  blood,  not  a lady  nor  a babe 


23  2 THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 

could  have  been  saved.  All  must  have  been  overwhelmed  in  one 
common  ruin,  and  none  left  to  tell  the  tale. 

But  those  demented  Sepoys  of  Meerut  struck  twenty-one  days 
too  soon,  thus  throwing  the  whole  country  into  such  an  excitement 
and  effort  to  meet  the  hour,  which  was  then  manifestly  inevi- 
table, that  every  expedient  that  men  could  adopt,  to  remove  the 
ladies,  children,  and  non-combatants  to  some,  to  any,  place  of  safety, 
and  the  best  possible  measures  for  their  defense  and  preserva- 
tion, were  taken.  So  that  to  that  three  weeks  of  opportunity  each 
lady  owes  her  life,  and  the  world  was  saved  the  agony  of  a tale  of 
horror  that  would  have  been  even  a_  hundred  fold  greater  than  the 
terrible  tragedy  which  horrified  them  in  1857-8. 

The  other  fact  was  personal  to  ourselves,  yet  having  a kindred 
significance  in  its  results.  Our  commanding  General  in  Bareilly 
was  a gentleman  of  the  name  of  Sibbald.  Like  many  other  old 
officers,  he  had  an  infatuated  confidence  in  his  Sepoy  troops.  If 
he  had  been  at  home  when  the  news  of  the  Meerut  massacre 
reached  us,  the  probability  is  that  not  a soul  of  us  would  have 
escaped.  But,  just  before  the  event  took  place,  he  was  led  to  pro- 
ceed upon  a tour  of  military  inspection  of  the  province  under  his 
authority,  and  was  most  providentially  away  in  the  mountain  dis- 
trict when  the  news  arrived. 

He  left  in  command  our  brave  friend,  Colonel  Troup — a man 
who  knew  the  Sepoys  well,  and  who  did  not  trust  them.  Acting 
on  his  own  judgment  and  discretion,  though  he  knew  the  old  Gen- 
eral would  probably  disapprove  his  action,  he  took  that  course,  in 
the  hour  and  opportunity  afforded  him  by  his  temporary  command, 
which  proved  the  salvation  of  all  those  under  his  care  who  obeyed 
his  orders. 

In  our  flight  to  Nynee  Tal,  myself  and  family  brought  up  the 
rear.  I met  General  Sibbald  half-way  down,  at  Bahari  Dak  Bunga- 
low, and  he  was  wild  with  excitement,  declaring  that  Colonel 
Troup’s  head  was  turned  to  do  such  a thing  as  to  send  away  the 
ladies  and  children  out  of  Bareilly,  and  he  swore  that  if  he  had 
been  at  home  not  one  of  them  should  have  left.  He  knew,  he 


OUR  WARNING  TO  FLEE. 


2 3' 3 


said,  that  his  Sepoys  were  staunch  and  true,  and  could  be  depended 
upon  to  defend  them  ! I looked  after  the  old  man  as  he  hurried 
away  from  me,  with  the  sad  presentiment  that  he  was  mistaken. 
He  “ blew  up”  Troup,  and  was  so  firm  in  his  reliance  on  the  Sepoys 
that,  had  it  not  been  for  the  influence  of  his  officers,  he  would, 
in  order  to  show  his  confidence  in  his  troops,  have  yielded  to 
their  request  to  order  back  the  ladies  to  Bareilly.  On  such  a 
thread  as  this  our  fate  hung.  Yet  this  very  man,  to  whom  his 
Sepoys  swore  such  fidelity  and  made  such  promises,  was  the  first 
person  whom  they  shot  on  that  Sabbath  morning,  May  3 1st.  In 
his  dying  hour,  if  he  thought  of  them,  he  must  have  felt  that  the 
safety  of  his  own  wife  and  daughters  was  due  to  the  precaution  of 
the  officer  he  had  blamed ! But  we  are  anticipating  what  follows. 

Forty-eight  hours  after  the  Meerut  massacre  (and  three  days 
before  the  account  of  that  of  Delhi  reached  us)  a mounted  horse- 
man entered  Bareilly,  with  a letter  from  the  English  Governor  of 
the  North-west,  Mr.  Colvin,  to  the  commanding  officer,  narrating 
the  terrible  deeds  done  at  Meerut,  and  suggesting  that  every  pre- 
caution should  be  taken  to  provide  for  the  safety  of  the  ladies  and 
children.  Colonel  Troup,  being  in  command,  received  the  letter 
and  acted  as  we  have  stated.  The  telegraphs  had  been  cut  all  over 
the  country,  and  the  mails  on  the  Delhi  side  stopped  ; so  that  had 
it  not  been  for  the  precaution  of  Mr.  Colvin  in  sending  a message 
direct,  we  should  have  been  in  ignorance  of  what  had  been  done, 
and  of  our  own  fearful  danger.  Many  such  facts  might  be  given  to 
show  the  merciful  Providence  which  watched  over  us  to  save  us. 
But  these  may  suffice  here. 

I now  turn  to  our  personal  narrative,  and,  in  presenting  it,  have 
carefully  looked  over  the  letters  addressed  to  the  Corresponding 
Secretary  of  our  Missionary  Society,  in  various  dates  from  May  26 
to  July  10,  1857,  when  I gave  the  facts  as  they  occurred  ; and  in 
the  light  of  the  explanations  which  subsequent  years  have  devel- 
oped, I find  only  a few  words  that  I need  at  all  to  qualify  ; so  that 
the  facts  and  impressions  are  given  in  the  form  in  which-  they  came 

from  an  anxious  heart,  which,  in  the  midst  of  danger  and  in  the 

13 


234 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


face  of  death,  tried  to  trust  in  God  for  all  events,  and  yet  looked  for 
a happy  issue  out  of  these  afflictions,  and  for  the  life  and  extension 
of  the  mission  which  we  had  begun. 

On  Thursday,  May  14,  the  commanding  officer  kindly  sent  his 
Adjutant  over  to  our  house  with  a serious  message.  Not  knowing 
what  he  specially  wanted,  we  engaged  for  nearly  an  hour  in  relig- 
ious conversation.  But  I thought  from  his  manner  that  he  looked 
anxious.  With  gentlemanly  delicacy  he  was  unwilling  to  mention 
his  message  before  Mrs.  Butler,  lest  it  might  injuriously  affect  her, 
as  she  was  in  circumstances  where  any  shock  was  undesirable.  He, 
accordingly,  asked  to  see  me  alone,  and  then  communicated  the 
intelligence  of  the  mutiny  at  Meerut,  stating  that  word  had  arrived 
from  the  Governor  that  the  insurrection  was  spreading  to  Delhi  and 
other  places,  and  that  fears  were  entertained  as  to  the  intention  of 
the  Sepoys  at  Bareilly.  Under  those  circumstances,  the  command- 
ing officer  felt  it  his  duty  to  request  that  all  ladies  and  children 
should  be  sent  off  quietly,  but  at  once , to  the  hills,  and  also  that  he 

• considered  it  prudent,  from  the  reports  in  circulation  concerning  us 
and  our  objects,  that  I also  should  accompany  Mrs.  B.  and  the  chil- 
dren, as  he  considered  me  in  rather  special  danger  in  the  event  of 
a mutiny.  I promised  the  Adjutant  that  I would  prayerfully  con- 
sider the  message,  and  let  my  conclusion  be  known  to  the  com- 
manding officer  that  evening.  As  soon  as  the  Adjutant  had  gone, 
I communicated  the  message  to  Mrs.  Butler.  She  received  it  with 

• calmness,  and  we  retired  to  our  room  to  pray  together  for  divine 
direction.  After  I had  concluded  my  prayer,  she  began,  and  I 
may  be  excused  in  saying  that  such  a prayer  I think  I never  heard  ; 
a martyr  might  worthily  have  uttered  it,  it  was  so  full  of  trust  in 
God  and  calm  submission  to  his  will.  But  when  she  came  to 
plead  for  the  preservation  of  “ these  innocent  little  ones,”  she 
broke  down  completely.  We  both  felt  we  could  die,  if  such  were 
the  will  of  God  ; but  it  seemed  too  hard  for  poor  human  nature  to 
leave  these  little  ones  in  such  dreadful  hands,  or  perhaps  to  see 
them  butchered  before  our  eyes  ! We  knew  that  all  this  had  been 
•done  on  Sunday  last  in  Meerut,  and  we  had  no  reason  to  expect 


CONCLUDED  NOT  TO  GO. 


235 


more  mere)  from  those  in  whose  power  we  were,  should  they  rise 
and  mutiny  I5ut  we  tried  hard  to  place  them  and  ourselves,  and 
the  mission  of  our  beloved  Church,  in  the  hands  of  God  ; and  he 
did  calm  our  minds,  and  enable  us  to  confide  in  him.  On  rising 
from  our  knees  I asked  her  what  she  thought  we  ought  to  do  ? 
Her  reply  was  that  she  could  not  see  our  way  clear  to  leave  our 
post ; she  thought  our  going  would  concede  too  much  to  Satan  and 
to  these  wretched  men  ; that  it  would  rather  increase  the  panic  ; that 
it  might  be  difficult  to  collect  again  our  little  congregation  if  we 
suspended  our  services,  and,  in  fact,  that  we  ought  to  remain  and 
trust  in  God.  I immediately  concurred,  and  wrote  word  to  the 
commanding  officer.  He  was  not  pleased  at  all  with  our  decision. 
The  evening  wore  on,  and  we  held  our  usual  weekly  English  serv- 
ice. I tried  to  preach  from  Deut.  xxxiii,  25,  “As  thy  days,  so 
shall  thy  strength  be,”  and  administered  the  holy  Sacrament.  The 
commanding  officer  was  present.  I felt  much  for  him.  His  re- 
sponsibility was  great,  for  on  his  discretion  and  judgment  our 
entire  safety,  under  God,  depended.  We  passed  a restless  night, 
startled  at  every  sound,  feeling  that  we  slept  over  a volcano  that 
might  burst  forth  at  any  moment,  and  scatter  death  and  destruc- 
tion on  every  side. 

Before  going  to  bed  we  arranged  our  clothes  for  a hasty  flight, 
should  an  alarm  be  given.  But  we  beheld  the  morning  light  in 
safety,  and  the  mail  brought  me  the  Christian  Advocate  of 
March  19,  and  one  of  the  first  things  I saw  was  the  little  para- 
graph which  was  headed  with  the  words  “ Pray  for  your  lonely 
William  Butier!”  How  much  I needed  to  be  prayed  for!  Before 
that  simple  sentence  my  heart  gave  way,  and  I could  not  resist  the 
tears  that  came.  The  past  and  the  present  were  such  contrasts ! 
But  God  graciously  soothed  my  feelings,  till  I wondered  why  I had 
ever  doubted  for  a moment,  or  failed  to  see  that  God,  who  had 
brought  us  hitherto,  would  not  now  forsake  us,  or  allow  our  mission 
to  be  broken  up.  I felt  assured  that  thousands  in  this  happy  land 
did  pray  for  their  “ lonely  William  Butler.”  Three  times  between 
that  and  Saturday  evening  did  my  kind  friend  send  to  warn  me  to 


236 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


leave,  as  did  also  other  friends  among  the  military.  By  that  time 
nearly  all  the  ladies  and  children  had  left.  The  place  looked  very 
desolate,  and  I began  to  question  whether  I was  right  in  resisting 
advice  any  longer.  My  Moonshee  told  me  candidly  he  thought  I 
“ ought  to  go.”  Being  a Mohammedan,  and  having  a pecuniary 
loss  in  the  suspension  of  my  lessons  in  the  language,  his  warning 
had  much  weight  with  me.  I had  then  to  settle  the  question, 
raised  by  the  commanding  officer,  whether  our  resistance  to  going, 
under  those  circumstances,  was  not  more  a tempting  of,  rather  than 
a trusting  in,  Providence  ? I hated  to  leave  my  post,  even  for  a 
limited  time.  Yet  to  remain  looked,  as  he  argued,  should  an  insur- 
rection occur,  and  I become  a victim,  like  throwing  away  my  life 
without  being  able  to  do  any  good  by  it ; and  the  Missionary  Board 
would  probably  have  blamed  me  for  not  taking  advice,  and  acting 
on  the  prudence  which  “foreseeth  the  evil,”  and  takes  refuge  “till 
the  indignation  is  overpast.”  Still,  had  I been  alone,  or  could  I 
have  induced  Mrs.  B.  to  take  the  children  and  go  without  me,  (a 
proposition  she  met  by  declaring  she  would  never  consent  to  it, 
but  would  cling  to  her  husband  and  cheerfully  share  his  fate,  what- 
ever it  might  be,)  I would  have  remained.  But  when  to  all  the 
preceding  reasons,  the  reflection  was  added  that  Mrs.  B.’s  situation 
required  that,  if  moved  at  all,  it  must  be  then,  as  a little  later 
flight  would  be  impossible,  and  she  and  the  children  and  myself 
must  remain  and  take  whatever  doom  the  mutineers  chose  to 
give  us,  I consulted  Joel,  and  asked  his  advice  as  to  what  had 
better  be  done.  He  thought  it  safest  that  we  should  go,  say  for 
three  or  four  weeks,  to  Nynee  Tal,  and,  if  all  remained  quiet,  we 
could  then  return.  Meanwhile  he  promised  to  sustain  our  humble 
service,  and  keep  every  thing  in  order.  How  little  he  or  I then 
imagined  that  he  himself,  or  any  native  Christian,  would  be  in 
peril,  or  that  before  we  again  stood  together  on  that  spot,  events 
would  transpire  around  him  that  would  fill  the  civilized  world  with 
horror ! 

I,  therefore,  arranged  to  suspend  my  English  service,  (indeed 
most  of  those  who  attended  were  already  gone,)  hoping  soon  to 


OUR  FLIGHT. 


237 


return  and  resume  it.  Saturday  night  we  lay  down  to  rest,  not  to 
sleep.  The  mounted  patrols  that  went  round  every  fifteen  minutes 
would  call  out  to  the  watchman  attached  to  each  house  in  such 
boisterous  tones  that  sleep  was  impossible ; and  it  almost  became 
distracting,  from  the  manner  in  which  it  made  the  poor  children 
startle  and  cry  until  daylight  broke.  It  was  a solemn  Sabbath. 
We  had  but  ten  persons  at  the  native  service,  and  less  at  the 
English  one ; people  seemed  afraid  to  come  out.  A rumor-  got 
afloat  that  Sunday  was  to  be  our  last  day ; that  the  Sepoys 
intended  to  murder  the  Europeans  on  that  Sabbath. 

Our  class-meeting  was  a solemn,  but  profitable,  time.  We  used 
it  as  if  it  were  our  last.  Had  it  been,  I think  each  of  that  little 
band  (seven  in  number)  would  have  been  found  of  God  in  peace. 
We  lay  down  again  to  seek  rest,  but  it  was  short  and  disturbed 
repose.  Monday  morning  came ; I tried  to  find  palankeens  for  our 
journey,  but  all  were  awa,y  ; so  I obtained  some  bamboos  and  rope, 
and  took  three  charpoys,  (an  article  like  what  our  Lord  referred  to 
when  he  bid  the  man  “ take  up  his  bed  and  walk,”)  turned  the  feet 
uppermost,  put  on  the  bamboos,  and  threw  a quilt  on  each,  and  we 
were  equipped.  I left  three  native  Christians  in  the  house  with 
Joel,  besides  two  watchmen  for  night.  That  evening,  at  six  o’clock, 
the  news  arrived  that  the  Sepoys  had  risen  in  Delhi,  murdered  the 
Europeans,  and  proclaimed  the  Emperor.  The  details  were  fright- 
ful. Just  then  Judge  Robertson  appeared  upon  the  scene,  and 
inquired  if  I too  was  yielding  to  the  panic  ? I told  him  all.  He 
was  incredulous.  I asked  him  why  he  thought  so  confidently  that 
there  would  be  no  rising?  He  told  me  he  was  so  advised  by  Khan 
Bahadur,  the  native  judge,  who  assured  him  there  was  no  cause  for 
alarm,  and  guaranteed  him  personal  protection  under  the  hospital- 
ity of  his  own  roof.  Judge  R.  expostulated  with  me  for  leaving, 
and  had  not  my  arrangements  been  made  for  going,  the  influence 
of  his  words  might  have  prevailed  to  lead  me  to  put  it  off,  and  we 
should  have  shared  his  sad  fate.  We  were  ready  when  our  bearers 
came  at  nine  o’clock,  and  I went  into  my  study  once  more.  I 
looked  at  my  books,  etc.,  and  the  thought  flashed  across  my  mind 


238 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


that  perhaps,  after  all  my  pains  in  collecting  them,  I should  never 
see  them  again  ! I took  up  my  Hindustanee  Grammar,  two  volumes 
of  manuscript  Theological  Lectures,  a couple  of  works  on  India, 
my  Passport,  my  Commission,  and  Letter  of  Instructions,  with  my 
Bible,  Hymn  Book,  and  a copy  of  the  Discipline,  and  sorrowfully 
turned  away,  lea\  ing  the  remainder  to  their  fate.  The  children,  poor 
little  fellows,  were  lifted  out  of  their  beds  and  placed  in  the  dooley. 

Quietly,  and  under  cover  of  the  night,  we  started,  leaving  the 
keys  of  our  house  and  all  things  in  Joel’s  charge.  Shaking  hands 
with  him  and  the  others,  we  moved  off  by  the  light  of  the  Mussal- 
chee’s  torch,  crossed  the  Bazaar,  but  no  one  molested  us  ; they 
simply  asked  the  men,  “ Whom  have  you  ?”  The  reply  was,  “The 
Padre  Sahib,”  (the  missionary,)  and  we  passed  through  the  crowd 
unmolested.  We  moved  on  in  the  silent  darkness,  having  seventy- 
four  miles  to  go.  About  midnight  I happened  to  be  awake,  and 
saw  we  were  passing  a gig  with  two  ladies  in  it,  and  a native  lead- 
ing the  horse.  It  seemed  hazardous  to  stop,  but  I became  so 
uneasy  that  I did,  and  walked  back.  The  ladies  knew  my  voice. 
There  I found  them,  on  that  wretched  road,  twenty  miles  from 
Bareilly,  in  the  middle  of  the  night ; the  ladies,  scantily  dressed, 
and  crowded,  with  an  Ayah,  (a  native  nurse,)  into  a small  gig, 
one  of  them  holding  up  (for  there  was  no  room  for  it  to  lie  down) 
a poor  little  sick  child.  In  that  posture  they  had  been  for  nearly 
eight  hours.  They  were  just  sitting  down  to  dinner  when  the 
news  of  the  massacre  of  Delhi  arrived,  and  such  was  the  panic 
produced  that  the  gig  was  instantly  brought  to  the  door,  and  they 
put  into  it  and  sent  off.  They  must  go  alone , for  their  husbands 
were  military  officers  and  must  remain.  I have  witnessed  desolate 
scenes,  but  never  saw  any  thing  so  desolate  looking  as  those  two 
ladies  and  that  child  on  that  road  that  night.  I took  the  lady  with 
the  child  out  of  the  gig  and  put  them  into  my  dooley,  and  it  did 
my  heart  good  to  see  them  lying  down.  I then  sent  them  on  and 
took  charge  of  the  other  lady  and  the  gig.  We  overtook  them,  and 
about  five  ladies  more,  next  morning,  at  the  travelers’  bungalow  at 
Behari.  There  they  remained,  as  directed,  until  dooleys  overtook 


.■12V  ANSWER  TO  PRAYER. 


239 


them  next  evening.  Here  I met  General  Sibbald,  as  already  stated, 
hurrying  down  in  a fury  ; too  late,  thank  God  ! to  carry  out  his 
purpose  to  prevent  the  departure.  We  rested  till  the  heat  of  the 
day  subsided,  and  then  I started  with  my  family  again.  We 
reached  the  first  Chowkee  safely,  changed  bearers,  and  then  entered 
the  Terai — a belt  of  deep  jungle,  about  twenty  miles  wide,  around 
the  Himalayas,  reeking  with  malaria,  and  the  haunt  of  tigers  and 
elephants.  The  rank  vegetation  stood  ii>  places  like  high  walls  on 
either  side.  At  midnight  we  reached  that  part  of  it  where  the 
bearers  are  changed.  The  other  palankeens  had  their  full  comple- 
ment of  men  ; but,  of  the  twenty-nine  bearers  for  whom  I paid,  I 
could  only  find  nine  men  and  one  torch-bearer ; and  this,  too,  in 
such  a place ! Darkness  and  tigers  were  around  us  ; the  other 
palankeens  were  starting  one  after  another,  each  with  its  torch  to 
frighten  away  the  beasts,  the  bearers  taking  advantage  of  the 
rush  to  extort  heavy  “ bucksheesh.”  All  but  two  had  gone  ofif,  and 
there  we  were  with  three  dooleys  and  only  men  enough  for  one,  and 
no  village  where  we  could  obtain  them  nearer  than  twelve  miles. 
What  to  do  I knew  not.  I shall  never  forget  that  hour.  At  length 
I saw  there  was  but  one  thing  to  be  done  ; I took  the  two  children 
and  put  them  into  the  dooley  with  Mrs.  Butler;  a bullock-hackrey, 
laden  with  furniture,  was  about  a quarter  of  a mile  ahead,  with  its 
light  fading  in  the  distance  ; desperation  made  me  energetic  ; at 
the  risk  of  being  pounced  upefn,  I ran  after  the  hackrey,  and  by 
main  force  drove  round  the  four  bullocks  and  led  them  back,  sorely 
against  the  will  of  the  five  men  in  charge  of  it.  But  I insisted  that 
they  must  take  Ann  (our  servant)  and  me,  with  what  little  baggage 
we  had  with  us.  I put  her  and  the  luggage  up,  the  driver  grum- 
bling all  the  while  about  his  heavy  load  and  the  delay.  I then 
turned  around  to  see  Mrs.  Butler  off,  but  her  bearers  did  not  stir. 
I feared  they  were  about  to  spoil  all.  They  were  exhausted  by 
extra  work,  and  might  have  even  fairly  refused  to  carry  two  chil- 
dren with  a lady ; and  to  have  taken  either  of  them  on  the  hackrey 
was  impossible.  I dreaded  the  bearers  would  not  go.  Delay  seemed 
ruinous  to  the  only  plan  by  which  I could  get  them  on  at  all.  If 


240 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


the  men  refused  the  burden  and  left,  they  would  take  with  them, 
for  their  own  protection,  the  only  torch  there  was,  which  belonged 
to  them,  and  we  should  have  been  left  in  darkness,  exposed  to  the 
tigers  and  the  deadly  malaria.  Mrs.  C.  and  Miss  Y.’s  bearers  had 
laid  them  down,  and  were  clamoring  for  larger  “ bucksheesh.” 
My  ten  men  looked  on.  The  hackrey-driver  turned  his  bullocks 
around,  and,  out  of  all  patience,  was  actually  putting  his  team  in 
motion.  But,  in  spite  of  urging,  there  stood  my  men.  It  was  an 
awful  moment.  For  a few  minutes  my  agony  was  unutterable ; I 
thought  I had  done  all  I could,  and  now  every  thing  was  on  the 
brink  of  failure.  I saw  how  “vain”  was  “the  help  of  man,”  and 
I turned  aside  into  the  dark  jungle,  took  off  my  hat,  and  lifted  my 
heart  to  God.  If  ever  I prayed,  I prayed  then.  I besought  God 
in  mercy  to  influence  the  hearts  of  these  men,  and  decide  for  me  in 
that  solemn  hour.  I reminded  him  of  the  mercies  that  had  hith- 
erto followed  us,  and  implored  his  interference  in  this  emergency. 
My  prayer  did  not  last  two  minutes,  but  how  much  I prayed  in 
that  time!  I put  on  my  hat,  returned  to  the  light,  and  looked.  I 
spoke  not ; I saw  my  men  at  once  bend  to  the  dooley ; it  rose,  and 
off  they  went  instantly,  and  they  never  stopped  a moment,  except 
kindly  to  push  little  Eddie  in,  when  in  his  sleep  he  rolled  so  that 
his  feet  hung  out. 

Having  seen  them  off,  I turned  around,  and  there  were  our  two 
dooleys.  I could  do  nothing  with  them,  so  left  them  for  the  tigers 
to  amuse  themselves  with,  if  they  chose,  as  soon  as  the  light  was 
withdrawn.  I ran  after  the  hackrey  and  climbed  up  on  the  top  of 
the  load,  and  gave  way  to  my  own  reflections.  I had  known  what 
it  was  to  be  “ in  perils  by  the  heathen,”  and  now  I had  had  an  idea 
of  what  it  was  to  be  “ in  perils  in  the  wilderness.”  But  the  feeling 
of  divine  mercy  and  care  rose  above  all.  The  road  was  straight, 
and  what  a joy  it  was  to  see  the  dooley-light  grow  dim  in  the  dis- 
tance, as  the  bearers  hurried  forward  with  their  precious  burden. 

We  moved  on  slowly  after  them,  owing  to  the  rugged  road,  the 
swaying  furniture,  and  the  wretched  vehicle  ; but  we  were  too 
grateful  for  having  escaped  passing  the  night  in  the  miasma  and 


NTNEE  TAL. 


241 


danger  of  the  jungle  to  complain,  though  every  movement  swung 
us  about  till  our  bones  ached. 

We  were  ten  hours  going  those  fifteen  miles.  At  last  day  broke, 
and  our  torch-bearer  was  dismissed.  “Hungry  and  thirsty,  our 
souls  fainted  in  us”  indeed.  But  at  last  we  reached  Katgodan,  and 
found  the  mother  and  babes  all  safe.  They  had  slept  soundly  the 
whole  distance,  and  at  daybreak  were  laid  safely  down  at  the  door 
of  the  travelers’  bungalow.  It  was  twenty-two  hours  of  traveling 
and  exposure  since  we  had  tasted  food,  and  when  it  was  served  up 
it  was  indeed  welcome. 

Mrs.  C.  and  Miss  Y.  did  not  arrive  for  some  hours  after  my  wife, 
having  lost  the  difference  of  time  on  the  road  in  contentions  with 
their  bearers,  and  extra  bribing  to  induce  them  to  go  on.  On  my 
arrival,  one  of  the  first  remarks  I met  was  from  Miss  Y. : “ Why, 
what  could  have  happened  to  Mrs.  Butler’s  bearers,  that  they 
started  so  cheerfully  and  arrived  here  so  soon,  without  giving  her 
the  least  trouble ! ” Ah  ! she  knew  not,  but  I knew,  there  is  a God 
who  heareth  and  answereth  prayer ! O for  a heart  to  trust  him  as 
I ought ! The  divine  interposition  in  the  case  will  appear  all  the 
more  manifest  when  I add  that  even  the  “bucksheesh”  for  which 
the  bearers  were  at  first  contending,  (and  which  I was  only  too 
willing  to  pay  them,)  they  started  off  without  staying  to  ask  for  or 
receive  ; nor  did  they  even  require  it  from  Mrs.  B.,  when  they 
safely  laid  her  down  at  the  end  of  their  run.  I shall  never  forget 
the  experience  and  the  mercy  of  that  night  in  the  Terai ! 

We  stopped  all  night  at  the  bungalow,  which  was  crowded,  and 
the  heat  was  beyond  any  thing  I ever  felt  before.  Major  T.  had 
kindly  sent  down  jampans  (a  kind  of  arm-chair  with  a pole  on 
each  side,  carried  by  four  men)  to  bring  us  up  the  mountain.  We 
began  the  ascent  at  three  o’clock  next  morning,  having  eleven 
miles  to  go  to  reach  Nynee  Tal.  As  soon  as  day  broke  the  view 
was  sublime — something  of  the  Swiss  scenery  in  its  appearance, 
but  more  majestic.  The  road  (a  narrow  path)  wound  round  and  up 
one  mountain  after  another,  by  the  brink  of  precipices  and  land- 
slips. As  we  rose  the  cold  increased,  till  we  came  to  a region 


242 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


where  trees  and  shrubs  of  European  growth  were  flourishing,  bil- 
berries and  raspberries  made  their  appearance,  and  the  cuckoo  was 
heard.  The  last  two  miles  was  up  the  face  of  a mountain  as 
nearly  perpendicular  as  was  possible  and  yet  permit  a very  zigzag 
path  to  be  cut  on  it.  At  length,  after  seven  hours’  toiling,  we 
gained  the  summit,  7,000  feet  above  the  plains  below.  What  a 
prospect ! In  the  bosom  of  those  cool  mountains  lay  the  sani- 
tarium of  Nynee  Tal,  with  its  beautiful  lake,  while  behind  it  rose 
up  the  “snowy  range,”  21,000  feet  higher  still. 

Those  who  may  visit  the  place  for  health  or  pleasure  in  the  days 
to  come  can  have  little  idea  with  what  feelings  the  panting  fugi- 
tives of  1857  caught  this  first  glimpse  of  it  on  that  morning. 

Nynee  Tal  occupies  a high  upland  valley  or  gorge  in  the  Gaghur 
range,  south  and  east  of  the  point  where  that  range  attains  its 
highest  elevation  at  Cheenur  Peak,  8,732  feet  above  the  sea.  This 
peak  sends  off  a spur  to  the  south  and  south-east,  called  Deoputta 
and  Ayar  Pata,  and  the  hollow  between  the  spur  and  the  main 
range  of  the  Gaghur — here  called  Shere  ke  Danda  and  Luria — is 
occupied  by  the  flat  portion  of  the  station,  by  the  bazaar,  and  by 
the  lake  which  gives  its  name  to  the  place,  and  which  forms  the 
principal  feeder  of  the  Bulleah  River. 

The  valley  is  half  land  and  half  water,  the  lower  end  being  occu- 
pied by  the  lake,  and  it  is  only  open  to  the  south-east,  where  the 
outlet  for  the  water  is  situated.  The  length  of  the  whole  hollow  is 
a mile  and  a half,  and  its  average  breadth  is  under  half  a mile. 
The  length  of  the  lake  is  a few  yards  less  than  one  mile.  The 
water  is  at  all  times  beautifully  clear  and  transparent,  and  in  calm 
weather  reflects  the  surrounding  scenery  like  a mirror. 

The  place  is  approached  by  two  narrow  paths  from  the  foot  of 
the  hills  on  the  Moradabad  and  Bareilly  sides.  The  ascent  is  in 
places  very  steep  and  on  the  verge  of  fearful  precipices.  It  had 
been  used  for  a few  years  past  as  a sanitarium  by  the  English  resi- 
dents, and  was  chosen  now  for  us  because  the  military  men  be- 
lieved that  it  could  be  easily  defended. 

All  looked  so  peaceful  and  felt  so  delightfully  cool ! After  some 


Nynee  Tal,  as  you  enter  it. 


ITS  VALUE  AS  A SANITARIUM. 


245 


searching,  I was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a little  furnished  house 
of  four  rooms  still  unengaged,  which  I gladly  hired  for  $225  for  “ the 
season.”  A bachelor  Captain  was  in  it  as  a day  tenant,  but  he 
most  kindly  turned  out  and  let  us  in  at  once,  and  within  five  hours 
of  our  arrival  we  laid  our  weary  little  ones  to  rest  in  our  new  and 
strange  home,  not  knowing  how  long  or  how  short  we  should  be 
able  to  occupy  it.  Yet  we  were  even  then  deeply  impressed  with 
the  value  of  such  a place  for  a sanitarium  for  our  mission  in  the 
better  days  of  the  future,  when  the  brethren  and  sisters,  whose 
health  would  require  the  change,  would  feel  thankful  to  have  with- 
in their  reach  such  a refuge  from  the  heat.  But  under  what  dif- 
ferent feelings  and  circumstances  is  it  now  visited  by  them  from 
those  with  which  their  fugitive  superintendent  first  entered  it ! 

Immediately  on  reaching  Nynee  Tal  I wrote  a few  w'ords  to  Dr. 
Durbin,  and  as  they  express  the  feelings  of  the  hour,  and  an  un- 
shaken faith  in  God  in  the  future  of  our  mission,  they  may  be 
quoted  here : “ I had  hoped  by  this  mail  (which  closes  here  to-day) 
to  have  sent  you  a full  account  of  our  situation  ; but  this  is  imprac- 
ticable until  the  next  mail.  We  have  only  just  arrived  here,  and 
are  all  in  confusion.  I can,  therefore,  only  write  a few  lines.  The 
commanding  officer  required  all  non-combatants  to  leave  Bareilly 
and  take  refuge  here  until  the  Government  has  put  down  this 
insurrection.  We  delayed  till  the  last  moment,  but  had  to  leave. 
Our  experiences  on  the  way  up  were,  in  many  respects,  trying 
enough,  but  God  preserved  us  in  safety,  so  we 

“ ‘ — praise  him  for  all  that  is  past, 

• And  trust  him  foi  all  that ’s  to  come.’ 

“ What  awaits  us  we  know  not  ; but  should  any  thing  happen  to 
us,  tell  our  beloved  Church  that  we  had  prepared  ourselves 
through  grace  for  all  results,  and  that  our  last  thoughts  were 
given  to  our  mission  in  the  confident  hope  that  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  would  do  her  part  faithfully  in  redeeming  India. 
Beyond  this  we  had  no  anxiety  except  for  our  poor  children.  Doc- 
tor, you  will  think  of  them  if  I fall ! We  need  now,  O how  much  ! 
the  prayers  of  God’s  people.” 


246 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


This  note  worked  its  way  through  all  the  dangers  to  which  the 
mails,  then  rapidly  breaking  up,  were  exposed,  and  managed  to 
reach  the  seaside,  and  so  on  to  its  destination  ; a better  fate  than 
many  of  its  successors  had. 

For  more  than  ten  days  all  moved  on  as  usual  ; the  mails  came 
and  went ; Joel  wrote  and  kept  me  informed  how  matters  pro- 
gressed till,  seeing  no  further  sign  of  danger,  some  of  our  party 
became  impatient,  asking  ourselves  why  did  we  leave  at  all,  and 
even  proposing  to  return  to  Bareilly.  It  was,  however,  only  the 
lull  before  the  storm. 

On  the  25th  we  heard  of  the  mutiny  at  Allyghur.  Sabbath,  the 
31st  of  May,  I preached  twice  (the  first  Methodist  sermons  ever 
uttered  on  the  Himalaya  mountains)  from  Acts  xx,  21,  and  Rom. 
viii,  16.  I tried  to  preach  as  “a  dying  man  to  dying  men.”  At 
the  same  hour  in  Bareilly  Joel  was  conducting  the  service.  He 
preached — for  he  had  already  begun  to  take  a text — the  very  morn- 
ing of  the  mutiny  from  the  words,  “ Fear  not,  little  flock,  for  it  is 
your  Fathers  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom,”  when,  in 
the  midst  of  his  closing  prayer,  the  guns  opened  fire,  and  the 
slaughter  of  the  Europeans  commenced.  But  we  knew  it  not. 
Our  Sabbath  passed  peacefully  over,  while  many  of  the  ladies  of 
our  party  were  widows,  and  the  mangled  bodies  of  their  husbands 
were  then  lying  exposed  to  every  form  of  insult  in  the  streets  of 
Bareilly. 

Monday  came,  and  no  mail  from  Bareilly.  We  feared  some- 
thing must  be  wrong,  and  our  fears  were  all  verified  by  the  arrival 
of  the  first  of  the  fugitives  in  the  evening,  bearing  the  terrible 
news  that  at  eleven  o’clock  on  Sunday  morning  the  Sepoys  had 
risen  and  commenced  shooting  their  officers.  An  understanding 
had  existed  among  the  officers  that,  in  case  of  a rising,  the  rendez- 
vous should  be  the  cavalry  lines  ; so,  as  soon  as  the  firing  began, 
each  officer  that  could  do  so  jumped  on  his  horse  and  galloped  to 
where  the  cavalry  were  drawn  up,  Brigadier-General  Sibbald  being 
killed  on  the  way  there.  As  Lieutenant  Tucker,  of  the  Sixty-eighth 
Native  Infantry,  was  flying  on  horseback,  he  saw  the  Sepoys  firing 


THE  ESCAPE. 


24; 


into  the  houses  of  the  English  sergeants  ; and  calling  out  to  one  of 
them,  “Jennings,  jump  up  behind  me,”  he  was  shot  dead  by  the 
Sepoys,  and  fell  from  his  horse.  Jennings  mounted  it.  They 
shot  the  horse  under  him.  He  jumped  off,  ran  for  his  life,  and 
escaped.  Captain  Patterson,  with  other  officers,  was  fired  on  in 
the  orderly  room.  They  escaped  by  the  opposite  door,  ran  to  their 
stables,  got  their  horses,  and  fled.  Colonel  Troup  heard  the  firing, 
and  was  leaving  his  house  when  his  own  orderlies  tried  to  stop  him. 
He  got  out  by  another  door,  and  escaped  on  foot,  but  was  followed 
by  his  syce  (groom)  with  his  horse.  Dr.  Bowhill,  of  the  Eight- 
eenth, was  in  his  bath  when  he  heard  the  firing.  He  jumped  out, 
drew  on  his  clothes,  got  out  his  watch  and  one  hundred  rupees, 
ran  to  the  stable  to  order  his  horse,  returned,  and  found  that  his 
rascally  bearer  had  made  off  with  money  and  watch  too.  I have 
only  heard  of  one  who  had  time  to  save  a single  thing  except  the 
clothes  they  had  on  them.  Captain  Gibbs  had  to  ride  across  the 
parade  ground  through  a volley  of  musketry,  and  the  artillery  men 
fired  on  him  with  grape.  He  escaped  unhurt.  All  was  so  sud- 
den, so  unexpected,  there  was  no  time  for  preparation — nothing  but 
to  mount  and  fly.  Two  minutes  after  Colonel  Troup  left  his  house 
he  saw  it  in  flames ; and  before  ten  minutes  every  bungalow  in  the 
cantonments  seemed  on  fire.  The  road  to  Nynee  Tal  was  direct 
through  the  city.  A band  of  officers  and  gentlemen,  about  forty 
in  number,  evaded  the  city,  took  a by-road  for  a couple  of  miles, 
and  escaped.  Those  who  tried  the  city  I believe  all  perished.  Of 
Lieutenant  Gowan  (our  good  friend  of  the  Eighteenth  Native 
Infantry)  we  could  hear  nothing ; but  he  was  saved  by  his  own 
Sepoys,  who  liked  him.  Under  cover  of  night,  when  it  came,  they 
took  him  out  of  a house  where  they  had  concealed  him,  and 
escorted  him,  with  their  Sergeant-Major  Belsham  and  his  wife  and 
five  children,  and  conducted  them  two  miles  beyond  Bareilly  to  the 
south,  giving  the  sad  party  what  money  they  could  spare,  and 
their  good  wishes  for  their  escape.  They  were  joined  during  the 
night  by  four  officers  that  had  escaped  the  massacre,  and  they 
resolved  to  keep  together  for  mutual  protection  ; but  the  slow 


248 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


pace  at  which  the  poor  woman  and  her  infants  could  move  soon 
irritated  the  officers,  and  they  resolved  to  leave  them  behind. 
Lieutenant  Gowan  would  not  listen  to  the  proposal.  His  human- 
ity saved  his  life.  The  four  officers  pushed  on  and  were  murdered, 
while  the  little  party  with  the  Lieutenant  were  all  saved  by  the 
wonderful  generosity  of  a Hindoo  farmer,  who  found  them  con- 
cealed in  his  field,  and  who  hid  them  for  seven  months  within  his 
own  house  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  This  was  at  Khaira  Bajera, 
a place  now  on  our  Minutes,  and  where  good  Lieutenant  (now 
Colonel)  Gowan  has  built  and  endowed  Christian  schools  as  a 
memorial  of  his  gratitude  to  the  Thakoor  who  sheltered  him,  and 
to  God  who  inclined  him  to  do  so.  They  are  under  the  charge 
of  our  mission. 

When  the  firing  first  began,  at  eleven  o’clock,  some  of  the  officers 
when  they  reached  the  lines  of  the  native  cavalry  suggested  a 
charge  on  the  artillery  and  infantry,  hoping  the  cavalry  would 
prove  true,  as  they  all  professed  great  loyalty.  It  was  attempted, 
but  the  rascals,  after  going  a few  paces,  hoisted  the  “green  flag” 
and  deliberately  rode  over  to  the  infantry,  leaving  the  officers  in  a 
body,  with  about  twenty-five  of  the  cavalry,  who  stood  faithful. 
The  artillery  then  opened  upon  them  with  grape,  and  they  had  to 
fly.  Poor  fellows ! they  rode  the  seventy-four  miles  without  re- 
freshment or  a change  of  horses  ; and  when  they  came  up  the  h >11 
to  us  next  morning  they  were  all  sun-burned  and  ready  to  drop 
from  sheer  exhaustion.  Some  of  them  had  nothing  on  but  shirt 
and  trousers  ; few  of  them  were  completely  dressed,  as  the  hour  of 
mutiny  was  the  general  hour  for  bath  and  breakfast,  and  they  had 
to  spring  to  their  horses  without  losing  a moment  to  look  for  any. 
Fully  one  half  of  our  little  English  congregation  were  murdered. 
Two  of  the  sergeants  who  used  to  attend  escaped,  and  got  half 
way  to  Nynee  Tal,  but  were  attacked  by  the  people  of  Bahary. 
One  of  them,  who  had  become  very  serious,  was  there  murdered  ; 
he  fell  with  his  hands  clasped  and  calling  upon  the  Lord.  The 
other  was  left  for  dead,  but  managed  to  crawl  to  the  foot  of  our 
hill,  and  recovered  from  his  wounds.  Mr.  Raikes,  the  chief 


THE  NUMBER  KILLED. 


249 


magistrate,  Mr.  Orr,  and  Mr.  Wyatt,  were  all  murdered,  and  Dr. 
Hansbrow,  the  Governor  of  the  jail,  was  killed  by  the  convicts,  the 
native  jailer  helping  them.  Mr.  Laurance,  a widower  with  four 
children,  was  made  to  sit  in  a chair  while  his  children  were  exe- 
cuted before  his  eyes,  and  then  he  was  killed.  Mrs.  Aspinall,  who 
lived  next  to  us,  with  her  son  and  his  wife  and  child  were  mur- 
dered in  their  garden.  It  is  said  the  murderers  flung  the  baby, 
five  weeks  old,  into  the  air,  and  cut  at  it  with  their  swords  as  it 
fell.  Some  of  the  accounts  are  too  dreadful  to  repeat.  We  cannot 
but  hope  that  many  of  them  were  exaggerated.  In  all  they  killed 
forty-seven  Christian  people,  men,  women,  and  children,  in  Bareilly 
that  day. 

As  soon  as  the  officers  fled,  the  Sepoys  fired  their  houses,  after 
which  they  broke  open  the  treasury  and  took  the  money;  and  then, 
as  if  possessed  with  the  demon  of  madness,  they  went  to  the  jail , 
broke  open  the  gates,  and  let  loose  the  criminals.  These  wretches 
completed  what  the  Sepoys  had  begun.  The  homes  of  the  civil- 
ians were  sacked  and  burned.  All  the  gentlemen  that  had  not 
fled,  or  were  overtaken,  were  either  killed  or  taken  prisoners.  The 
Sepoys  then  proclaimed  the  Emperor  of  Delhi ; elected  as  Nawab 
Khan  Bahadur  Khan,  who  had  held  the  office  of  Deputy  Judge  under 
our  friend  Judge  Robertson,  and  who  so  deceived  him,  as  already 
noticed.  It  is  understood  that  the  prisoners  were  all  brought  before 
the  new  Nawab  next  morning,  (Judge  Robertson,  Dr.  Hay,  and 
Mr.  Raikes  being  of  the  number,)  and  this  wretch  deliberately  con- 
demned them  to  death  by  the  law  of  the  Koran  : “ They  were  infi- 
dels, and  they  must  die  !”  He  ordered  them  to  be  publicly  hanged 
in  front  of  the  jail. 

The  rebels  went  to  my  house,  and  expressed  great  regret  at  not 
finding  me.  They  are  said  to  have  declared  they  specially  wanted  me. 
They  then  destroyed  our  little  place  of  worship,  and  burned  my 
house  with  its  contents.  All  was  lost,  save  life  and  the  grace 
of  God  ; but  the  sympathy  and  prayers  of  our  beloved  Church 
were  still  our  own,  so  the  loss  was  not  so  great  after  aii. 

It  would  be  affectation  if  I were  to  profess  that  I was  unmoved 


250 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


at  my  loss.  So  far  from  it,  I felt  overwhelmed  by  it.  Every  thing 
was  so  complete  and  well  arranged  for  my  work.  But  all  was 
destroyed,  and  some  things  gone  that  could  never  be  restored. 
All  my  manuscripts  ; my  library,  (about  one  thousand  volumes,  the 
collection  of  my  life,  and  which,  perhaps,  I loved  too  well,)  so  com- 
plete in  its  Methodistic  and  theological  and  missionary  depart- 
ments ; my  globe,  maps,  microscope ; our  clothes,  furniture,  melo 
deon,  buggy,  stock  of  provisions — every  thing,  gone  ; and  here  we 
were,  like  shipwrecked  mariners,  grateful  to  have  escaped  with  life. 
But  we  tried  to  say,  “ The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken 
away ; blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.”  I had  the  consola- 
tion to  know  that  my  goods  had  been  sacrificed  for  Christ’s  sake. 
When  we  looked  around  us  and  saw  the  anguish  that  wrung  the 
hearts  of  the  bereaved  of  our  number,  we  felt  that  our  loss  was 
light,  and  could  be  easily  borne.  So  we  were  “ cast  down,  but  not 
destroyed.” 

When  the  Sepoys  had  thus  slaughtered  all  the  Europeans  on 
whom  they  could  lay  their  hands,  they  remembered  that  there  were 
a few  native  Christians,  and  they  eagerly  sought  them  out,  resolved 
not  to  leave  a single  representative  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  in 
Bareilly  when  the  sun  of  that  day  should  set.  Their  full  purpose 
thus  became  apparent,  and  God  alone  could  prevent  them  from 
consummating  it. 

We  had  in  all  six  Christians,  of  whom  two  or  three  were  then 
regarded  as  converted,  the  rest  were  seekers  ; but  all  were  equally 
exposed  to  the  dreadful  rage  which  that  noon  burst  so  unexpectedly 
upon  them.  In  the  cloud  of  darkness  and  terror  which  settled 
over  them  they  were  at  once  hidden  from  my  view.  Where  they 
were,  or  whether  alive  or  dead,  I could  not  find  out.  Those  Euro- 
peans who  escaped  and  joined  us  could  tell  me  nothing  at  all  about 
them,  though  I anxiously  questioned  all  who  might  by  any  possi- 
bility know.  I also  succeeded  in  bribing  two  natives,  who  remained 
faithful  to  us  and  came  up  with  the  ladies,  to  venture  down  and 
seek  for  Joel  and  the  rest,  promising  a large  reward  for  any  intelli- 
gence of  him  or  them  ; but  the  messengers  did  not  return  to  us, 


JOEL'S  ESCAPE. 


25  t 

and  we  were  left  to  suppose  that  they — our  Christians — were 
nowhere  to  be  found  in  or  around  Bareilly.  Of  the  death  of  any 
of  them  we  received  no  information  ; sro  we  kept  on  hoping  that 
heathen  rage  had  confined  itself  to  the  Europeans,  and  that  the 
others,  though  scattered,  were  uninjured.  How  little  we  knew 
what  they  had  suffered  ! 

Though  at  the  risk  of  anticipating  events  which  date  further  on, 
I must  here  give  the  facts  as  I was  enabled  to  ascertain  them. 
As  soon  as  any  communication  was  established  between  Calcutta 
and  the  Upper  Provinces  on  the  south  side  of  the  Ganges — for  all 
north  of  that  river  was  still  held  by  the  Sepoys — I sent  off  letters 
to  every  place  to  which  I thought  it  likely  Joel  could  have  escaped, 
fie  also  was  trying  to  reach  me  by  letters,  but  could  not.  One  of 
my  communications  at  last  found  him,  as  I had  hoped,  in  Allaha- 
bad, and,  in  response  to  my  request,  he  gave  me  a narrative  of 
what  befell  him  and  the  rest  on  that*  dreadful  day.  All  his  state- 
ments we  afterward  confirmed  together  on  the  spot  in  every 
particular. 

Instead  of  giving  the  facts  myself,  I prefer  to  present  his  deeply 
interesting  letter,  assured  that  the  reader  will  kindly  excuse  its  occa- 
sional imperfect  English  and  Hindustanee  idioms,  rendering  some 
words  in  a few  places  when  it  is  necessary  to  give  his  meaning.  I 
had  told  him  that  we  had  heard  of  the  arrival  at  Calcutta  of  the  first 
party  of  our  missionaries,  and  that  if  he  were  outside  the  circle  of 
danger  and  at  Allahabad,  and  could  communicate  with  Calcutta,  to 
try  and  have  them  come  where  he  was,  as  the  seat  of  the  North- 
west Government  had  been  fixed  at  Allahabad,  and  all  was  safe 
there  then  ; also,  that  I felt  assured,  as  the  armies  were  rapidly 
breaking  up  the  Sepoy  forces,  we  at  Nynee  Tal  who  were  still  pre- 
served, though  besieged,  would  soon  be  relieved,  and  our  mission 
be  once  more  established  at  Bareilly.  I tried  to  cheer  him,  and 
sustain  his  faith  in  God.  My  letter  took  twelve  days  to  reach  him, 
having  to  go  out  through  the  mountains  behind  us,  and  then  along 
their  crest  till  it  could  reach  the  Ganges,  and  get  beyond  the  range 

of  the  rebels  in  Rohilcund.  In  reply  he  writes  : 

14 


2$2 


THE  LAND  OF  1HE  VEDA. 


“ Allahabad,  February  4,  1858. 

“My  Dear  Sir, — Your  long-expected  letter,  dated  the  18th 
January,  reached  me  on  the  1st  instant.  Though  the  interval  is 
very  long,  still  it  was  a source  of  very  great  consolation  to  me.  It 
has  given  fresh  vigor  and  courage.  I became  happy,  exceedingly 
happy,  from  its  perusal.  And  nothing  could  exceed  my  joy  then 
to  hear  of  the  safety  and  welfare  of  self  and  Mrs.  Butler,  and  the 
little  bachchas,  (children  ;)  increased  more  by  the  joyous  news  that 
another  precious  little  darling  [our  daughter  Julia,  born  after  our 
flight]  has  been  added  to  the  number  of  the  family,  for  which  I 
must  congratulate  you.  You  ask  in  your  letter  why  I did  not 
write  to  you?  True,  I knew  you  were  in  Nynee  Tal  ; but  I could 
see  no  way  of  safety  for  months  and  months.  I could  not  know 
whether  communication  with  Nynee  Tal  was  open  or  not.  The 
whole  country  was  in  such  a dreadful  disorder  I was  conscious 
that  it  would  never  reach  you  ; but  the  moment  that  I was  assured 
communication  was  open,  and  my  letter  would  fall  in  your  hands, 
I immediately  addressed  you  two  letters  in  succession,  but  I am 
sorry  to  see  it  did  not  reach  you.  According  to  your  request,  I sit 
down  with  the  greatest  pleasure  to  give  you  an  account  of  how  I 
escaped.  It  was  on  the  memorable  31st  of  May,  on  Sunday,  that 
the  mutiny  of  the  Bareilly  troops  took  place.  I was  busy  with 
prayers  with  the  other  Christians  after  a sermon  on  ‘ Fear  not, 
little  flock,’  etc.,  and  about  the  middle  of  the  closing  prayer  I was 
informed  of  the  outbreak.  I instantly  closed,  and  began  to  look 
out  for  the  safety  of  my  wife  and  child.  The  Chowkeydar  (watch- 
man) aided  me  in  getting  the  Christian  women  concealed.  I then 
returned  to  the  Bungalow,  (my  residence.)  By  this  time  it  was 
partly  looted  and  in  flame.  Seeing  it  on  fire,  I threw  down  the 
keys,  thinking  no  use  to  keep  keys  now,  [a  very  innocent  and  just 
conclusion  of  poor  Joel’s.]  Palwansing  and  Isaac  [two  of  the 
native  Christians]  disguised  themselves  as  gardeners.  I went  to 
see  if  the  women  were  safe,  and  returned,  when  I saw  Tuggu  and 
another  man  attacking  Isaac  with  a tulwar  to  rob  him.  Palwan- 
sing signaled  me  not  to  come  near,  as  Tuggu  had  just  said  they 


JOEL'S  ESCAPE. 


253 


were  searching  for  me  to  kill  me.  They  went  off,  and  I came  for- 
ward, and  then  I saw  Maria  [our  first  female  member  in  Bareilly, 
and  a good  Christian  girl]  coming,  running  through  the  trees,  but 
before  any  of  us  could  reach  her  a Sowar  [mounted  Sepoy]  caught 
sicrht  of  her  and  turned,  and  with  his  tulwar  he  struck  her  head 

t» 

off. 

“Seeing  all  was  over,  Isaac  fled -toward  Budaon.  I heard  he 
was  killed  on  the  road.  Mow  providential  that  Emma  was  a 
brand  plucked  out  from  burning,  for  in  the  house  where  she  was 
going  afterward  to  hide  herself  a good  many  Europeans  were  con- 
cealed, and  not  long  after  the  house  was  burned  by  the  Sowars, 
when,  with  a few  exceptions — who  were  afterward  killed — all  per- 
ished. Emma  escaped.  Your  Dhobin  (washerwoman)  caught  her 
hand  as  she  was  entering,  and  said,  ‘You  must  not  go  in  there.’ 
Again,  as  Emma  was  sitting  with  these  women,  disguised  as  one 
of  them,  she  was  remarked  by  a Sepoy  to  be  a Christian  woman, 
[her  bright,  intelligent  face  might  well  betray  her,]  and  here  again 
the  Dhobin’s  intercession  saved  her.  [This  faithful  creature  also 
buried  Maria’s  body  under  the  rose  hedge.  I had  the  gratification 
afterward  of  meeting  her  on  the  spot,  and  rewarding  her  for  the 
humanity  she  showed  our  Christian  people.]  As  soon  as  it  was 
dark  I went  to  the  store-room,  where  I had,  on  the  first  alarm, 
hidden  my  Bible,  and  money,  and  clothes,  under  the  charcoal,  but 
they  were  all  gone  ; so  we  started  on  foot,  and,  not  knowing  where 
to  go,  directed  our  steps  toward  Allahabad.  The  Chowkeydar  came 
with  us.  We  did  not  arrive  here  till  after  various  wanderings  and 
troubles,  tasting  the  bitterness  of  death  as  it  were  at  every  step — 
night  and  day  walking — with  my  wife,  who  before  could  not  rough 
it  for  half  a mile,  [she  was  delicate  and  weak,]  doing  some 
twenty-four  or  twenty-six  miles  a day,  suffering  the  pangs  of  hun- 
ger, thirst,  and  fatigue,  and  pressed  with  dangers  and  difficulties  ; 
in  perils  often,  Budmashes  [thieves  and  ruffians]  scattered  every 
place.  I carried  the  child,  but  after  the  first  twelve  miles  Emma 
gave  out,  said  she  could  go  no  farther,  so  we  had  to  stop  and  rest 
her,  resuming  our  walk  at  three  o’clock  in  the  morning,  and  going 


254 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


on  till  nine.  Fearing  the  Budmashes,  we  left  the  road  and  took 
side  paths,  which  brought  us  to  a village.  We  had  nothing  to  eat 
since  Sunday  morning,  but  could  get  nothing  there  except  parched 
gram,  (pulse  for  horses.)  Eat  a little  and  pushed  on  again. 

“ By  this  time  Emma’s  poor  feet  gave  out  with  soreness,  so  we 
bound  them  up  with  soft  rags  to  make  it  easier  to  walk.  We 
reached  Mohumdee,  which  was  infested,  and  were  soon  surrounded  ; 
but  the  Hindoo  Jamedar  (police  officer)  rescued  us  out  of  their 
hands,  and  asked  who  we  were.  I told  him,  ‘ Give  food  and  shel- 
ter, for  we  are  strangers,  and  I will  tell  you  who  we  are,  and  where 
going.’  He  did,  and  then  asked,  ‘Are  you  Hindoos  or  Moham- 
medans?’ I said,  ‘Neither;  we  are  Christians.’  He  advised  us 
not  to  stop  there,  but  to  push  on  at  once.  We  did,  and  on  near- 
ing Shahjehanpore  I saw  a Hindoo  that  I knew.  Took  him  aside, 
and  asked  him  if  any  Europeans  in  S.  The  man  said,  ‘ Not  one  ; 
all  killed.’  So  we  turned  off  and  made  for  Seetapore.  Seeing  a 
man  watering  fields  I asked  him  if  any  Sahib  logs  [white  gentle- 
men] at  Seetapore.  He  said  he  ‘ had  heard  that  they  were  all 
killed  or  gone.’  We  entered  and  passed  through,  and  rested  under 
a tamarind-tree  beyond.  Two  Hindoos  came  by,  and  told  of  their 
own  accord  how  the  Sahibs  were  killed  there,  and  added,  ‘ We  are 
hunting  for  a native  Christian.’  I asked  why  they  should  search 
for  him.  They  replied,  ‘ He  has  defiled  himself  by  eating  with 
Christians.’  I said,  ‘Nothing  that  a man  eats  can  defile  him.’ 
Then  they  asked,  ‘Who  are  you  ?’  The  Chowkeydar  was  afraid, 
and  tried  to  put  off  the  question.  But  I replied,  ‘ I am  a Christian.’ 
They  were  not  pleased,  but  went  on.  Soon  meeting  with  two 
other  men  they  pointed  back  to  our  party.  For  fear  of  mischief 
we  rose  and  went  on  our  way,  and  escaped  them.  My  crying 
toward  God  was,  ‘ O that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes 
fountains  of  tears,  that  I might  weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain 
of  the  people  of  the  Almighty  !’  At  length  we  reached  Lucknow, 
which  had  not  yet  fallen,  and  there  saw  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  and 
other  Englishmen.  One  of  them  asked  me  all  about  Bareilly. 
After  resting  we  went  on  toward  Allahabad.  In  two  days  reached 


JOEL'S  ESCAPE. 


255 


Cawnpore.  Stopped  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Ganges  to  find  out 
what  was  the  state  of  C.  Found  it  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the 
rebels  under  Nana  Sahib,  and  the  bridge  guarded  by  two  cannon  ; 
so  we  kept  on  the  east  bank  two  days’  journey  more,  till  we  saw  a 
boat,  and  the  man  took  us  over  for  a rupee. 

“Nearing  Futtehpore  we  met  crowds  of  people  hurrying  away, 
and  asked,  ‘ What  is  the  matter  ? ’ They  said,  ‘ O the  English  are 
coming  and  sweeping  all  before  them  ! ’ They  were  in  great  ter- 
ror, but  we  rejoiced  now,  though  we  did  not  tell  them  so.  Not 
fearing  the  English,  we  went  on  through  the  flying  crowd  to  meet 
them.  Just  then  came  to  the  Ten  Commandments  and  Mr.  Tuck- 
er’s house  at  F.  [Mr.  T.  was  a noble  Christian — a magistrate — 
who  had  had  the  Commandments  cut  on  two  large  stone  slabs  in 
the  native  language,  and  set  up  by  the  road-side  near  his  gate,  that 
all  persons  passing  by  might  read  them.  They  were  very  large 
and  prominent.]  I stood  near  and  read  them  to  our  party,  then 
went  mto  Mr.  T.’s  fine  house  and  took  possession,  for  all  was 
empty.  Mr.  T.  was  killed  the  day  of  the  mutiny.  Found  good 
mangoes  in  the  garden  and  eat  them.  Started  next  morning. 
The  villages  were  deserted.  In  the  evening  we  lay  down  in  a serai 
all  alone,  and  slept  comfortably,  knowing  the  English  must  be 
near.  Next  morning  we  were  enjoyed  to  see  a white  man’s  face — 
a man  with  a party  repairing  the  telegraph.  We  told  him  all,  and 
he  told  us  about  Allahabad,  and  that  Mr.  Owen  and  all  were  in 
the  fort  there. 

“ We  soon  met  the  army  ; they  did  us  no  harm  ; my  health  and 
spirits  revived  ; we  slept  near  them  that  night.  It  was  either  Neil 
or  Havelock.  [It  was  probably  General  Neil,  with  the  vanguard  of 
Havelock’s  force.]  Reached  Allahabad  next  day,  so  happy  to  find 
my  friends  again.  God  had  heard  and  saved  us,  though  we  had 
been  robbed  of  every  thing  except  a single  covering  for  our  bodies ; 
yet  here  we  are  at  last,  joined  to  our  people  once  more.  Thanked 
and  praised  be  God’s  holy  name,  who  not  only  supported  and  gave 
us  strength,  but  enabled  us  to  endure  all  the  changes  of  nature,  and 
safely  brought  us  thus  far  ; and  now  additional  joy  has  been  afforded 


256 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


us  by  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  to  find  you  all  in  health  and  com- 
fort. How  I long  to  see  you,  and  wish  I was  with  you ! 

“ The  fatigue  and  trouble  so  overtook  Emma,  that  even  up  to 
this  time  she  is  in  very  delicate  health.  [No  wonder.  It  makes 
me  now  shudder  to  imagine  what  such  a gentle  and  tender  creature 
must  have  endured  in  that  dreadful  walk  of  three  hundred  and  forty 
miles,  in  the  raging  heat  of  an  India  June,  without  nourishment, 
and  exposed  to  insult  and  even  death  all  the  time.]  The  Allaha- 
bad Mission  is  a heap  of  ruins.  Mr.  Owen’s  bungalow  was  burned 
to  ashes,  and  all  the  furniture  and  books  of  the  mission  and  the 
college  destroyed  ; the  church  sadly  mutilated,  though,  thank  God  ! 
no  serious  damage  done  to  it  that  cannot  be  restored  with  a little 
outlay  ; the  press,  too,  and  every  thing  connected  with  it,  all  ruined. 
Mr.  Munniss  and  Mr.  Owen  had  both  to  escape  to  Calcutta.  But 
Mr.  Owen  has  now  returned.  You  must  have  heard  of  the  deaths 
of  the  Futtyghur  missionaries.  They  were  murdered  either  at 
Bithoor  or  at  Cawnpore.’  [And  it  occurred  about  the  very  time 
that  Joel  passed  in  the  vicinity  of  these  places  on  his  way  down. 
How  little  he  imagined  that  those  he  knew  and  loved  so  well  were 
there,  within  probably  a mile  of  where  he  passed,  enduring  the 
agonies  of  Christian  martyrdom  !]  All  the  houses  of  the  native 
Christians  here  were  burned  and  destroyed. 

“You  write  wishing  Messrs.  Pierce  and  Humphrey,  with  their 
wives,  to  join  me  ; but  I think  it  impossible.  The  ladies  at  any 
rate  cannot  go  up  with  them,  at  least  for  some  months  hence,  and 
it  is  not  the  orders  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  that  ladies  may  go 
to  the  upper  provinces.  I have  written  to  Messrs.  Pierce  and 
Humphrey  to  come  here  and  learn  something  of  the  language  till 
the  time  when  Bareilly  is  retaken. 

“ I am  really  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  kind  care  of  me 
during  these  troublesome  times  ; but  as  I am  at  present  working 
on  the  railway  here,  and  earn  something  to  support  myself  and 
family,  I do  not  see  any  necessity  of  your  taking  any  further  trouble 
about  me  in  regard  to  money,  until  such  time  as  I shall  be  with 
you  again.  But  whenever,  if  I will  require,  I will  tell  you ; and, 


CONTRASTED  SCENES.  257 

over  and  above,  I think  you  can  hardly  spare  any  thing,  yourself 
being  in  trouble. 

“ I am  not  at  all  discouraged  with  this  trouble  ; on  the  contrary, 
I hope  it  has  been  sanctified  to  my  good.  God  forbid  that  I may 
oe  discouraged ! but  may  he  grant  me  that  grace  which  may  make 
my  hope  strong  and  my  faith  firm  ; and  would  to  God  that  new 
vigor  should  be  afforded  me  in  the  path  of  duty  ! My  wife  joins 
with  me  in  sending  her  remembrance  and  regards  to  Mrs.  Butler, 
Mr.  Gowan,  [whom  he  supposed  to  be  with  our  party,]  and  to  all 
others  acquainted  with  me,  and  in  prayers  for  our  speedy  restora- 
tion in  the  field  of  our  labor.  My  mother-in-law  and  Jonas  and 
wife  offered  their  best  regards  to  you  both.  Emma  says,  ‘ Give 
my  salaam  [the  prayer  for  peace  and  blessing]  to  my  mother  that 
is  to  say,  to  Mrs.  Butler. 

“ Believe  me  to  be  your  most  obedient  servant, 

“Joel  T.  Janvier.” 

I communicated  again  with  Joel,  sending  money,  and  requested 
him  to  stand  ready  to  release  himself  from  his  situation,  and  join 
me  as  soon  as  I should  call  him  to  his  higher  work.  I knew  his 
heart  and  could  rely  upon  him.  General  Havelock’s  progress  was 
necessarily  slow,  the  fall  of  Delhi  was  delayed  ; but  the  hour  of 
relief,  on  the  south-west  of  our  position,  came  at  length,  and  I was 
enabled  to  reach  the  plains  on  the  Dchra  Doon  side,  and  have  him 
join  me  once  more. 

Every  thing  English  in  Bareilly — people,  houses,  furniture — was 
ruthlessly  destroyed,  all  save  the  house  which  the  English  officers 
had  used  as  a Freemasons’  Lodge.  The  poor  superstitious  Sepoys 
understood  that  there  was  something  mysterious  transacted  there, 
and  it  might  not  be  safe  or  lucky  to  interfere  with  it  in  any  way. 
So  there  it  stood  in  its  integrity,  when  we  returned  to  Bareilly, 
alone  and  unharmed  amid  the  ruins  of  the  English  station. 

After  their  carnival  of  blood  and  ruin  had  been  consummated  in 
Bareilly  the  Sepoys  began  the  work  of  dividing  the  plunder,  and 
strange  and  fantastic  were  the  scenes  as  they  were  afterward 


258 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


described  to  us.  The  newly-elected  Sepoy  officers,  who  were  now 
to  fill  the  places  of  their  superiors,  were  decked  out,  according  to 
their  new  rank,  in  the  clothes  and  equipments  of  the  murdered 
officers,  strolling  about  or  riding  in  their  carriages,  and  doing  what 
they  could  to  enforce  the  same  salutes  and  honors  that  were  for- 
merly paid  to  the  English  officers.  Their  fellows  would  grin  and 
ridicule  their  demands,  so  that  the  prospects  of  discipline  or  sub- 
ordination were  very  poor,  and  from  the  first  intimated  that  defect 
which  was  one  of  the  causes  of  their  failure. 

How  strange  it  seems  now  to  remember  that,  on  that  very  Sab- 
bath-day, and  at  the  very  hours  when  these  deeds  were  done,  and 
hell  seemed  to  run  riot  in  Bareilly,  in  the  city  of  Boston  there  was 
being  held  one  of  the  most  holy  and  impressive  services  ever  wit- 
nessed there.  Bromfield-street  Methodist  Church  was  crowded  that 
day  to  witness  the  consecration  of  Messrs.  Pierce  and  Humphrey 
to  the  missionary  work — Bareilly  being  their  destination  ! God 
never  looked  down  at  the  same  hour  upon  two  greater  contrasts 
than  he  gazed  upon  that  day  and  night — the  one  worthy  of  heaven 
and  its  joy,  the  other — but  we  forbear.  How  would  ten  minutes’ 
service  of  the  telegraph  (had  it  been  then  in  use  as  it  is  to-day) 
have  changed  that  holy,  joyous  scene  in  Bromfield-street  into 
mourning  and  woe ! But  the  friends  dreamed  not  of  our  sorrows, 
and  God  honored  their  faith  and  devotion,  notwithstanding  our 
sufferings  and  the  suspension  of  our  work. 

This  dreadful  31st  of  May  was,  with  few  exceptions,  the  general 
day  for  rising  all  over  the  land.  The  scenes  of  Bareilly  were 
repeated  in  all  the  cities  of  Rohilcund,  Oude,  the  Doab,  and  the 
North-west  Provinces.  Volumes  might  be  filled  with  the  sad  recit- 
als. But  we  have  no  heart  for  their  repetition.  One  alone,  till  we 
come  to  speak  of  Cawnpore  and  Lucknow,  must  suffice  ; and  we 
give  it  because  it  was  the  station  next  our  own— Shahjehanpore — 
forty-three  miles  east  of  Bareilly.  The  atrocities  committed  there 
were  so  cruel  and  complete  that  no  Europeans  escaped  ; so  we  rely 
for  our  account  of  their  sad  fate  upon  the  testimony  of  the  natives 
themselves,  as  drawn  out  by  subsequent  Government  inquiry. 


T1IE  MASS  AC  BE  AT  SHA1IJEHANP0RE. 


259 


With  well-dissembled  enmity,  the  Sepoys  at  Shahjehanpore  went 
through  their  duties  until  the  morning  of  the  rising.  They  waited 
until  their  officers  and  their  families  had  gone  to  church.  This  was 
the  opportunity  which  they  preferred.  They  rose  en  masse,  and, 
having  armed  themselves  fully — though  those  whom  they  were  to 
overcome  were  entirely  unarmed  and  defenseless  worshipers  in 
the  house  of  God — stealthily  proceeded  in  a body  to  the  church. 
They  must  have  taken  their  measures  very  quietly  and  quickly,  for 
they  entered  while  the  congregation  knelt  in  prayer,  without  caus- 
ing the  least  alarm,  and  in  some  instances  dealt  their  deadly  blows 
on  the  prostrate  suppliants  before  their  presence  was  known  or 
their  purpose  feared.  Young  Spens  was  on  his  knees  in  prayer 
when  his  shoulder  was  laid  open  by  the  savage  lunge  of  a tulwar 
wielded  by  one  of  the  murderous  mutineers.  The  attack  being 
simultaneous,  the  people  were  instantly  on  their  feet,  struggling  in 
mortal  combat  with  their  assailants.  The  heart-rending  scene  that 
ensued  I cannot  describe.  Words  seem  too  feeble  to  convey  its 
horrors.  It  is  believed  that  not  one  of  the  number  of  men,  women, 
and  children  in  that  sanctuary  ultimately  escaped. 

Particulars  have  been  ascertained  concerning  the  sad  fate  of 
twenty-six  of  their  number.  These  succeeded,  by  some  means, 
in  getting  out  of  the  furious  fray  and  reaching  the  doors  of  the 
church,  and,  befriended  by  their  syces,  or  coachmen,  reached  their 
carriages  and  drove  off,  scarcely  knowing  or  caring  whither.  They 
only  drew  irp  at  a place  called  Mohumdy,  after  a drive  of  many 
miles.  Here  they  were  well  received  by  the  Theeselder,  or  local 
officer,  who  seemed  sincerely  disposed  to  shield  and  serve  them. 
The  strongest  defense  at  his  disposal  was  a mud  fort,  and  there  he 
placed  the  fugitives,  who  began  to  breathe  in  hope.  It  was  only 
fora  brief  interval.  A part  of  the  Forty-first  Sepoy  Cavalry  sud- 
denly appeared,  and,  having  discovered  the  refugees,  demanded 
their  surrender.  The  remonstrances  and  resistance  of  the  friendly 
Theeselder  were  in  vain. 

On  being  given  up  they  were  put  into  their  own  carriages  and 
driven  off  under  the  escort  of  their  captors.  Before  starting,  how- 


26o 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


ever,  the  disabled  and  bandaged  condition  of  young  Spens,  who 
was  one  of  the  party,  excited  the  notice  of  one  of  the  troopers,  who 
stepped  up  and  cleft  him  in  pieces,  coolly  remarking  that  it  was 
useless  taking  a wounded  man  with  them  to  cumber  them. 

Whether  they  had  any  specific  intention  concerning  their  cap- 
tives on  starting  it  is  impossible  to  say  ; but  it  is  certain  that,  after 
proceeding  for  some  time,  they  halted,  as  if  in  accordance  with  a 
pre-arranged  purpose.  Opening  the  carriages,  they  ordered  the 
ladies  and  children  to  step  out.  The  unhappy  husbands  and  fathers 
entreated  to  be  taken  in  their  stead.  Impatient  of  the  slightest 
resistance,  they  dragged  the  babes  and  their  mothers  to  the  ground, 
and,  with  a refinement  of  cruelty,  dismembered  and  mutilated 
them  in  the  presence  of  their  powerless  protectors.  Having  fin- 
ished with  them,  they  fell  upon  the  men  and  butchered  them  also, 
and  then  drove  off  with  the  empty  carriages,  leaving  the  mangled 
bodies  dishonored  and  exposed  upon  the  road,  to  be  devoured  by 
the  jackals  and  birds  of  prey.  Some  friendly  villagers,  however, 
soon  after  they  had  gone,  dug  a pit  near  the  spot  and  buried  the 
outraged  remains. 

A leading  American  journal  very  justly  remarked  at  the  time: 
“ Horrible  are  the  atrocities  which  mark  the  progress  of  the  pres- 
ent rebellion.  The  North  American  savage  need  no  longer  be  con- 
sidered the  monster  of  human  cruelty,  as  the  red  man  has  found 
his  match  in  the  Sepoys,  who  cut  off  women’s  ears,  eyes,  and  noses, 
destroying  them  by  tortures  worthy  of  the  diabolical  rage  and 
malignity  of  Satan  himself.”  Indeed,  one  may  venture  to  go  fur- 
ther, and  say  that  history  may  be  searched  in  vain  to  find  a parallel 
to  the  riot,  plunder,  and  murder  of  those  dreadful  days.  The  num- 
ber of  the  slain  and  mutilated  will  probably  never  be  known. 
Inquiry  has  ascertained,  however,  that,  apart  from  the  relieving 
army,  not  less  than  fifteen  hundred  Englishmen  and  Englishwomen 
must  have  perished,  not  half  of  whom  probably  found  the  rest  of 
the  grave:  their  bodies  lay  upon  the  waste,  or  were  dragged  out 
of  the  bazaars,  or  left  amid  the  wreck  of  their  own  homes,  to  lie 
neglected  and  become  the  food  of  dogs  and  jackals,  or  the  foul  birds 


‘THE  MURDERED  MISSIONARIES. 


261 

of  prey.  How  sad  were  the  cases  of  which  I had  personal  knowl- 
edge, as  well  as  the  histories  to  which  I have  listened  during  the 
subsequent  years,  particularly  of  the  trials  and  tortures  to  which 
ladies  were  subjected  ! Volumes  might  be  filled  with  the  dreadful 
details  of  these  shameful  atrocities : we  can,  however,  name  a few 
of  the  sufferers. 

Of  the  Missionaries  of  the  various  societies  within  the  circle 
around  our  position,  the  following  suffered  a cruel  death  at  the 
hands  of  the  Sepoys  in  the  cities  ndmed  : 

Rev.  W.  H.  and  Mrs.  Haycock,  and  Rev.  H.  and  Mrs.  Cockey, 
at  Cawnpore,  of  the  English  Gospel  Propagation  Society. 

Rev.  J.  E.  and  Mrs.  Freeman,  Rev.  D.  E.  and  Mrs.  Campbell, 
Rev.  A.  O.  and  Mrs.  Johnson,  and  Rev.  R.  and  Mrs.  Macmullin, 
at  Futtyghur,  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission. 

Rev.  T.  Mackay,  at  Delhi,  Baptist  Missionary  Society. 

Rev.  A.  R.  Hubbard  and  Rev.  D.  Sandys,  at  Delhi,  English 
Gospel  Propagation  Society. 

Rev.  R.  and  Mrs.  Hunter,  at  Sealcote,  Scotch  Kirk. 

Rev.  J.  Maccallum,  at  Shahjehanpore,  Addit.  Clergy.  Society. 

Some  of  these  had  children,  who  suffered  with  them. 

Several  Chaplains  also  were  killed:  Mr.  Jennings  in  Delhi,  Mr. 
Polehampton  in  Lucknow,  Mr.  Moncrieff  at  Cawnpore,  and  Mr. 
Copeland. 

The  mission  property  destroyed  was  estimated  at  the  value  of 
$344,400.  Of  this  heavy  loss,  by  far  the  greater  portion  fell  upon 
the  English  Church  Missionary  Society,  and  the  American  Pres- 
byterian Missions.  The  former  lost  $160,000,  and  the  latter  about 
$130,000.  • 

Thus  the  mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to  India 
was,  in  the  first  year  of  its  establishment,  covered  with  a cloud,  and 
the  faith  and  patience  of  our  Church  was  severely  tested.  It  became 
a solemn  question,  how  the  Church  would  take  this  dispensation  of 
Providence.  Will  she  recede  at  the  first  difficulty  ? Will  she 
give  way  because  earth  and  hell  have  roused  themselves  up  to 
resist  her?  Nay,  “Greater  is  He  that  is  for  us  than  all  that ’can 


262 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


be  against  us.”  Besides,  our  experience  is  not  singular.  Many 
missions  that  have  been  eminently  successful  have  had  very  unpro- 
pitious  beginnings  ; and  God  eminently  honored  the  faith  that  did 
not  shrink  from  difficulties.  We  recollect  with  what  interest  the 
Church  of  Scotland  sent  forth  her  first  missionary,  Dr.  Duff,  to  lay 
the  foundation  of  her  mission  in  India.  But  seldom  has  a voyage 
been  more  protracted  or  disastrous  than  Dr.  Duff’s  first  voyage  to 
India  in  1830.  His  ship  went  down  off  the  coast  of  Africa,  and 
1 he  lost  all  he  possessed  in  the  world,  (including  a valuable  library, 
too,)  except  one  copy  of  the  word  of  God,  he  and  his  devoted  wife 
barely  escaping  with  their  lives.  They  made  their  way  to  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  and  sailed  again  ; but,  off  the  Mauritius,  came  near 
foundering,  and  actually  were  a second  time  shipwrecked  in  the 
Bay  of  Bengal : so  that  their  disastrous  voyage  lasted  eight  months 
from  the  time  they  left  England  till  they  reached  Calcutta.  But 
what  a glorious  work  of  God  has  sprung  from  that  perilous  and 
untoward  commencement ! God  grant  that  the  Methodist  Mission 
to  North  India,  notwithstanding  “the  fight  of  afflictions”  in  which 
it  was  begun,  may  find  its  sufferings,  and  its  faith  and  patience, 
honored  by  similar  success!  And  why  not?  I thank  God  we  were 
not  discouraged.  Notwithstanding  all  we  had  passed  through,  or 
might  pass  through,  we  lost  neither  heart  nor  hope  ; we  still  held 
on  to  the  expectation  that  India  had  a bright  future  before  it,  and 
that  our  mission  would  live,  and  “ triumph  in  Christ,”  among  the 
very  people  at  whose  hands  we  had  suffered. 

The  refugees  from  Moradabad  reached  us  by  the  southern  pass 
within  a couple  of  hours  of  those  from  Bareilly.  We  went  to 
meet  them  ; and  how  hearty  was  each  congratulation  upon  their 
escape  and  safe  arrival ! Each  man,  too,  added  to  the  force  for  our 
defense,  and  so  strengthened  us.  One  officer,  as  he  came  over  the 
brow  of  the  hill,  and  caught  his  first  view  of  Nynee  Tal,  looked 
delighted,  as  he  rested  his  loaded  rifle  by  his  side,  till  a sudden 
thought  flushed  his  face  with  anxiety,  and,  turning  to  us,  he  asked, 
“ But  are  we  safe  here?”  We  dared  not  answer  ; for  we  had  been 
asking  that  question  of  our  own  fears  for  many  previous  hours,  as 


TEMPERING  THE  WIND.  263 

the  fearful  emergency  in  its  character  and  extent  opened  out  so 
seriously  before  our  view. 

A wonderful  circumstance  occurred  in  connection  with  the  flight 
of  these  people  from  Moradabad,  which  illustrates  the  idea  so  often 
expressed  of  that  tender  mercy  which 

“Tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn  Iamb.” 

The  English  Government  requires  a constant  supply  of  elephants 
for  carrying  forage,  drawing  and  handling  cannon  and  timber,  and 
other  heavy  work  for  the  army  and  commissariat.  As  these  huge 
creatures  do  not  breed  in  captivity,  the  required  supply  can  only  be 
kept  up  by  constant  additions  from  the  herds  of  wild  elephants 
which  roam  the  great  Terai  forest  surrounding  the  Himalaya 
Mountains.  To  accomplish  this  a regular  department  is  organ- 
ized, which  trains  the  more  docile  of  the  female  elephants  to  aid  in 
capturing  the  wild  ones  in  the  Terai,  and  they  lend  themselves  to 
the  work  with  a sagacity  and  a fidelity  that  is  truly  wonderful. 
At  the  head  of  this  “Elephant  Department”  was  a Major  Baugh, 
whose  residence  was  at  Moradabad.  On  the  very  morning  of  the 
mutiny  his  lady  was  confined,  and  in  less  than  four  hours  after  that 
event  the  Sepoys  rose.  The  Major’s  feelings  may  be  imagined  when 
he  rushed  into  his  home  and  broke  the  dreadful  news  to  his  wife  as 
she  lay  in  her  chamber  with  her  baby  by  her  side.  The  agonized 
husband  looked  at  them,  and  was  almost  speechless  with  horror  in 
anticipation  of  the  destruction  that  would  be  at  their  door  in  a few 
moments.  But  the  heroic  lady,  notwithstanding  her  situation,  was 
equal  to  the  emergency.  With  a word  of  cheer  to  the  sad  husband, 
she  made  the  astounding  proposal  to  him  to  bring  the  buggy  at 
once  to  the  door.  It  was  done.  She  then  told  him  to  take  a bed 
and  put  it  in  the  buggy,  and  to  lift  her  up  and  carry  her  and  her 
baby  out,  and  lay  them  on  the  bed,  and  try  to  escape.  Then  com- 
mending themselves  to  Heaven’s  help,  the  husband,  having  his  sword 
in  one  hand  and  the  horse’s  bridle  in  the  other,  they  commenced  the 
dreadful  and  uncertain  march  for  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  sixty 
miles  distant,  over  a rough  road,  crossed  by  numerous  rivers,  not 


264 


THE  LANE  OF  THE  VEDA. 


one  of  which  was  then  bridged.  Twenty  miles  of  the  road  lay 
through  the  malarious  Terai ; while  they  were  liable  at  any  hour 
to  be  overtaken  and  cut  to  pieces,  yet  not  daring  to  go  faster  than 
a walk,  for  the  poor  lady’s  life  could  not  bear  more  than  the  strain 
it  was  at  that  rate  enduring — and  all  this  beneath  that  blazing  sun 
of  May ! 

I leave  it  to  those  who  may  read  these  facts  to  imagine,  if  they 
can,  what  must  have  been  that  husband’s  feelings  during  those 
thirty-six  hours  of  sympathy  and  fear ! But  the  dear  lady  went 
through  it  all,  reached  the  foot  of  the  hills,  was  carried  up  the 
remaining  eleven  miles  in  a jampan,  and  was  received  and  wel- 
comed by  us  with  the  tender  commiseration  and  respect  that  were 
due  to  one  who  had  gone  through  such  an  experience.  We  hardly 
dared  to  hope  that  she  could  really  survive  it,  but  thought  it  must 
kill  her  and  her  babe  too.  But  no ! a merciful  Providence  carried 
her  safely  through.  Her  recovery  was  rapid,  and  in  three  weeks 
after  her  escape  she  made  her  appearance  upon  the  Mall  which  runs 
around  the  lake,  looking,  though  pale,  so  cheery  and  grateful  as 
each  gentleman  she  met  lifted  his  hat  in  homage  to  one  who  had 
drawn  so  deeply  upon  our  sympathies,  and  whose  appearance  again 
gave  us  as  much  pleasure  as  if  she  had  been  a personal  friend  or  a 
sister  of  ours. 

Had  our  enemies  only  followed  us  up  at  once,  instead  of  waiting 
to  burn,  and  plunder,  and  dispute  about  rank  and  methods  of  action, 
they  could  most  certainly  have  been  upon  us  before  we  were  pre- 
pared for  resistance.  But  we  made  good  use  of  the  forty-eight 
hours  which  their  wrangling  allowed  ; and  when  they  reached  the 
foot  of  the  hills  our  measures  were  taken,  and  we  stood  ready  for 
them — so  far  as  a handful  could  be  ready  for  a host  of  Sepoys  and 
Budmashes.  With  a good  glass,  from  certain  points  we  could 
catch  a glimpse  of  their  out-lying  pickets  when  they  pushed  up  to 
Julee. 

As  soon  as  the  last  refugee  had  reached  us  we  held  a “ council 
of  war,”  to  see  what  could  be  done.  The  first  thing  was  to  ascer- 
tain our  numbers  ; so  we  counted  heads,  and  found  that  we 


TILE  ILLUSTRIOUS  GARRISON  OF  NYNEE  TAL.  265 

were  eighty-seven  gentlemen,  with  one  hundred  and  thirteen  ladies 
and  children  to  protect.  By  general  consent  Major  Ramsay,  the 
Commissioner,  was  elected  Commandant.  We  voted  ourselves  a 
sort  of  militia  in  her  Majesty’s  service,  and  pledged  the  Major  our 
full  duty  and  obedience  to  defend  the  place  to  the  last  extremity. 
Somehow  or  other  all  of  us  were  supplied  with  arms  ; those  who 
had  more  than  enough  divided  with  those  who  had  none.  Here 
was  a case  where  “ he  who  had  no  sword  ” would  willingly  “ sell 
his  garment  and  buy  one,”  for  “ the  days  of  vengeance  ” were  upon 
us,  and  we  had  a duty  to  fulfill  on  behalf  of  ladies  and  little  ones 
that  admitted  of  no  hesitation,  in  view  of  the  relentless  enemy  who 
now  hemmed  us  in  on  every  side. 

Having  elected  our  Commandant  and  distributed  our  arms,  the 
worthy  Major  asked  us  to  stand  up  in  line,  that  he  might  address 
us  a few  words.  Each  shouldered  his  weapon,  and  the  line  was 
formed.  The  Commandant  looked  at  his  little  force.  He  could 
not  help  smiling,  serious  as  he  and  we  felt,  for  a more  “awkward 
squad  ” than  we  appeared  no  commandant  ever  inspected.  Among 
the  eighty-seven,  as  they  then  stood,  each  “ a high  private,”  were 
three  generals,  grayheaded  and  bent  with  years  ; a number  of 
colonels,  majors,  and  captains  ; some  doctors,  judges,  and  magis- 
trates ; a few  Indigo  planters,  merchants,  and  shopkeepers  ; two 
English  chaplains,  and  myself,  the  only  American  in  the  party — 
from  the  man  of  fourscore  down  to  the  boy  of  seventeen  : yet  half 
of  the  number  had  probably  never  fired  a shot  in  anger,  if  at  all, 
and  had  to  learn  every  thing  in  their  new  profession. 

Our  commander’s  speech  was  a very  brief  one.  Its  burden  was 
the  duty  that  we  owed  to  the  ladies  and  children,  with  the  assur- 
ance that,  far-off  and  isolated  as  we  were,  England  would  find  us 
out  and  rescue  us  if  we  could  only  hold  on  till  her  forces  arrived  ; 
that,  whatever  came,  the  last  man  must  fall  at  his  post  ere  one  of 
those  wretches  should  cross  our  defenses.  Our  hearts  were  sad 
enough,  but  we  cheered  the  speech.  We  were,  to  a man,  willing 
to  fight,  and,  if  necessary,  to  die  to  defend  the  ladies. 

I walked  home  with  my  musket  on  my  shoulder  and  my  pockets 


266 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


full  of  ball  cartridges  and  caps,  greatly  to  my  wife’s  surprise,  who 
met  me  at  the  door  and  declared  there  must  be  some  mistake : 
she  had  “ married  a Methodist  preacher,  and  not  a soldier.”  But 
I took  that  gun  as  a religious  duty,  and  intended  to  use  it,  too,  if  I 
had  a chance  ; for  surely  these  were  circumstances  in  which  a 
Christian  could  pray  God  to  “ teach  his  hands  to  war  and  his  fin- 
gers to  fight.”  Before  one  of  those  bloody  men  below  should  burst 
our  bounds,  or  lay  a finger  on  one  of  the  ladies  who  relied  upon 
our  protection,  as,  under  God,  their  only  hope,  I should  certainly 
have  fired  my  last  charge,  and  then  laid  around  me  with  the  butt- 
end,  and,  having  done  all,  have  “died  at  my  post.”  So  would 
every  man  of  our  number. 

But  the  rascals  below  were  not  very  anxious  to  give  us  a chance 
to  show  how  valiant  we  were,  so  we  rested  on  our  arms  and  awaited 
their  pleasure. 

The  twenty-five  faithful  Sowars  who  had  stood  firm  and  come 
up  with  their  officers  were  quite  a help  to  us  ; but  in  spite  of  what 
the  brave  fellows  had  risked  for  their  fidelity,  (for  word  had  reached 
them  that  their  fellow-Sepoys  would  kill  their  children,  whom  they 
had  to  leave  behind  in  Bareilly,  if  they  did  not  forsake  us,)  yet  we 
secretly  dreaded  to  trust  them  fully,  so  they  were  placed  down  the 
hill  a mile  or  two  to  guard  that  pass,  and  our  “ munition  of  rocks” 
was  defended  by  our  own  right  arms  alone.  The  hill  men,  called 
Paharees,  being  probably  aborigines,  hate  the  plains’  men,  and  the 
dislike  is  returned  with  equal  cordiality.  We  made  no  effort  to 
heal  this  breach,  but  rather  fomented  it.  The  Commandant  hired 
and  trained  as  many  of  these  Paharees  as  he  could.  We  had  thus 
done  all  we  could  for  our  own  preservation — placed  a small  force 
at  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  then  posts  every  mile  or  two,  which  could 
fall  back  on  each  other  if  overpowered.  Half-way  we  had  a small 
cannon  planted,  the  grape  of  which  would  mow  down  any  advanc- 
ing party  ; then  on  convenient  turns  and  narrow  places  great 
heaps  of  stone  and  trees,  denuded  of  their  branches,  were  ready  to 
be  rolled  down  upon  any  foe  that  would  venture  to  come  up  these 
passes  ; then  the  road  had  been  cut  so  narrow  in  places  that 


THE  VALUE  OF  OUR  HEADS. 


267 


only  two  men  could  walk  abTeast  on  the  verge  of  the  precipice  ; we 
had  also  undermined  the  road  in  several  places,  so  that  an  invad- 
ing party  could  be  so  isolated  that  they  could  neither  go  back 
nor  forward.  In  addition,  we  were  well  armed,  and  ready,  by  day 
or  night,  when  the  signal  gun  was  fired,  to  rush  to  the  top  of  the 
pass,  and  die  there  sooner  than  the  enemy  should  force  it,  or  that 
a single  one  of  those  one  hundred  and  thirteen  ladies  and  children 
should  fall  into  the  hands  of  those  vile  wretches.  We  felt  assured, 
as  we  looked  at  our  work,  that  a handful  could  hold  the  place 
against  multitudes  if  their  ammunition  only  held  out  and  their 
provisions  lasted  ; but  that  was  the  question  just  then. 

Our  congregation  was  a sad  one.  With  the  exception  of  my 
wife  and  another  person,  every  lady  of  the  party  wore  some  badge 
of  mourning,  showing  that  either  relatives  or  near  friends  had  been 
killed.  Of  course  house  and  property  were  utterly  destroyed  in 
every  case,  while  the  enemies  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  were  raging 
and  blaspheming  below,  thirsting  for  our  blood,  and  vowing,  by  all 
their  gods,  that  they  would  soon  have  it,  and  thus  finish  up  their 
fiendish  work.  In  such  circumstances  what  a significance  many 
parts  of  the  word  of  God  had  for  us  ! “ The  denunciatory  Psalms,” 

which  in  a calm  and  quiet  civilization  seem  sometimes  to  read 
harshly,  were  in  our  case  so  apposite  and  so  consistent  that  we 
felt  their  adaptation  and  propriety  against  these  enemies  of  God  as 
though  they  had  been  actually  composed  for  our  special  case. 
How  we  used  to  read  them  with  the  new  light  of  our  position,  and 
how  they  drew  out  our  confidence  in  God  for  the  final  issue ! 

Khan  Bahadur,  the  new  Nawab  of  Rohilcund,  strengthened  his 
force  to  hem  ns  in,  and  issued  his  list  of  prices  for  our  heads,, 
beginning  with  Mr.  Alexander,  the  Commissioner.  Five  hundred 
rupees  was,  if  I recollect  rightly,  the  price  he  put  upon  my  poor 
head.  Every  expedient  was  used  to  urge  his  men  to  storm  our 
position  ; but  their  spies  (for  they  had  such)  considerably  cooled 
their  ardor  by  the  representation  of  our  resolution  and  prepara- 
tions ; so  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  if  they  could  not  get  up 

to  kill  us,  they  would  do  the  next  best  thing  for  them,  by  starving. 

15 


268 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


us  out,  which  would  answer  about  as  well.'  But  we  as  decidedly 
resolved  that  we  would  not  be  starved,  so  we  set  to  work  to  make 
the  best  commissariat  arrangements  of  which  the  case  admitted. 

There  was  a very  sparse  population  of  the  Paharees  sprinkled 
about  in  the  valleys  between  us  and  the  higher  Himalayas,  and 
every  thing  these  people  had  to  spare  we  bought  up  ; the  lake  fur- 
nished some  fish,  and  the  forest  around  had  game.  The  latter, 
however,  was  not  much  aid  to  us,  as  it  was  not  prudent  to  waste 
our  ammunition,  nor,  in  view  of  our  signals,  was  it  desirable  to 
have  much  firing  in  our  neighborhood.  We  did  as  well  as  we 
could  ; but  as  week  after  week  went  over  we  felt  the  pressure  more 
sensibly.  Money  grew  scarce,  and  clothing,  shoes,  and  other  ne- 
cessities, became  harder  to  obtain. 

In  about  two  weeks  after  our  flight  the  terrible  jungle  fever, 
which  we  hoped  we  had  escaped  the  night  when  we  were  detained 
in  the  Terai,  began  to  develop  itself,  (taking  about  that  time  to  do 
so,)  and  soon  our  little  home  was  a scene  of  sickness,  while  help 
and  medicine  were  so  very  scarce.  Every  one  of  us  had  to  go 
through  it,  four  out  of  the  five  being  down  with  it  at  the  same  time. 
In  the  midst  of  this  scene  of  weakness  and  sorrow  our  daughter 
Julia  was  born.  The  day  she  came  was  the  darkest  we  had  ever- 
seen.  Illness,  tropical  rains,  want  of  help,  a scarcity  of  proper 
nourishment  for  the  poor  mother,  with  the  uncertainty  as  to  the 
moment  when  we  might  be  assailed,  and  my  liability  to  have  to 
leave  the  sick  household  to  go  to  my  post  at  the  pass,  all  consti- 
tuted a strain  upon  the  soul  of  one  anxious  mortal  that  I feel 
thankful  does  not  often  fall  to  the  lot  of  a husband  to  endure. 

But,  notwithstanding,  the  dear  babe  brought  the  light  with  her. 
A father's  heart  may  be  allowed  to  say  that  her  presence  helped  to 
disperse  some  of  the  gloom  of  the  dark  days  that  followed,  and 
added  a new  motive  for  vigilance  and  courage.  Yes,  let  the  30th 
of  June  stand  as  “a  red-letter  day”  in  the  life  of  one  so  deeply  in- 
debted as  I am  to  the  ruling  providence  of  my  God  ! Our  “ part- 
ners in  distress”  were  pleased  to  designate  her  “The  Mutiny 
Baby,”  and  many  a kind  word  and  act  were  lavished  upon  her. 


HUNGRY  FOR  NEWS. 


269 


Of  course  our  mails  were  cut  oft' — we  were  completely  isolated 
from  all  the  world.  We  could  stand  on  our  magnificent  elevation 
and  look  out  upon  the  plains  of  India,  the  horizon  stretching  for  a 
hundred  miles  from  east  to  west — could  trace  the  courses  of  the 
rivers,  and  see  the  forests  and  towns  in  the  dim  distance — but  could 
only  imagine  what  was  being  done  down  there.  The  handful  of 
villagers  around  11s  told  us  that  we  were  the  last  of  Christian 
life  left  in  India;  that  from  where  we  stood  to  the  sea,  nearly  a 
thousand  miles  on  each  side,  every  white  man  had  been  murdered, 
and  the  last  vestige  of  our  religion  swept  away.  We  well  knew  if 
this  were  so  our  fate  was  but  a question  of  time  ; yet  “ against 
hope’’  I “believed  in  hope.”  I felt  that  this  could  not  be  true,  for 
Jesus  Christ  was  still  on  the  throne  which  governs  this  world,  and 
he  would  not  thus  allow  the  clock  of  progress  to  be  put  back  for 
centuries,  nor  yield  to  earth  or  hell  the  conquests  won  on  the 
oriental  hemisphere. 

Our  “ raging  foes”  kept  up  their  alarms,  but  we  estimated  them 
at  their  worth,  and  stood  on  our  guard  day  and  night  with  unre- 
laxed vigilance.  How  we  longed  for  news  ! A letter  or  a news- 
paper would  have  been  more  precious  than  rubies  ; but  we  were 
destined  to  know  for  weary  months  what  “ hunger  for  news  ” 
meant.  Our  food  was  often  scanty ; but  we  would  willingly  have 
done  without  it,  even  for  days,  to  have  received  instead  a feast  of 
information,  more  particularly  about  those  whom  we  left  below, 
and  of  whose  fate  we  were  so  uncertain. 

We  tried  hard  to  establish  some  means  of  communication,  but 
they  were  all  failures.  The  few  natives  that  remained  faithful 
were  offered  the  largest  bribes  which  our  means  afforded,  to  go 
down  and  bring  us  news  of  how  matters  stood — whether  any  of 
our  friends  survived,  and  if  there  was  any  prospect  of  relief. 
Four  or  five  were  induced  to  go,  but  only  one  returned,  and  he  was 
mutilated.  The  rebels  cut  off  his  nose  and  ears,  and  the  poor  man 
was  a frightful  spectacle.  Government  afterward  liberally  pen- 
sioned him.  We  were  indeed  “ shut  up  life  hung  in  uncertainty, 
and  we  “ stood  in  jeopardy  every  hour.”  The  outside  world  lost 


270 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


sight  of  us,  and  some  of  our  number  were  published  as  among  the 
dead. 

In  the  midst  of  these  vicissitudes  the  question  was  discussed 
whether  we  had  not  better,  for  the  ladies’  sake,  try  to  cross  the 
Himalayas  and  strike  the  Brahmapootra  behind  them,  and  so  make 
our  way  by  that  river  to  Burmah  ; a proposition  that  would  have 
been  madness  to  have  attempted,  situated  as  we  were,  without 
resources,  and  which  would  have  involved  our  destruction.  The 
fact  of  the  proposition,  however,  shows  the  extremity  to  which  we 
were  reduced  when  intelligent  men  could  seriously  propose  such  a 
mode  of  escape. 

The  English  judge  at  Budaon,  near  Bareilly,  was  a pious  gentle- 
man of  the  name  of  Edwards.  Before  the  rebellion  I had  gone,  at 
his  earnest  request,  to  visit  that  place  and  hold  divine  service  with 
his  family  on  a Sabbath  day.  Two  or  three  natives  had  been  led 
to  embrace  Christianity,  one  of  whom,  named  Wuzeer  Singh,  had 
resigned  his  position  in  a Sepoy  regiment  to  join  the  little  band 
whom  Mr.  E.  cared  for.  The  “mutiny”  broke  out  soon  after. 
Judge  Edwards  had  sent  his  wife  and  child  to  Nynee  Tal,  but 
resolved,  to  use  his  own  words,  “ to  stick  to  the  ship  as  long  as 
she  floated,”  and  he  remained,  the  only  European  officer  in  charge 
of  his  district,  with  800,000  people  within  its  bounds.  “ I went,” 
he  says,  “ into  my  room  and  prayed  earnestly  that  God  would  pro- 
tect and  guide  me,  and  enable  me  to  do  my  duty.” 

At  six  o’clock  on  Monday  morning  the  Sepoys  broke  into  open 
mutiny.  . . . Mr.  Edwards,  revolver  in  hand,  forced  his  way 
through  the  crowd,  and  approached  a “ fine,  powerful  Patan,  about 
fifty  years  of  age,”  named  Moottan  Khan,  one  of  the  leaders.  Mr. 
E.  rode  up  to  him,  and  putting  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  said, 
“Have  you  a family  and  little  children?”  The  Patan  nodded. 
“Are  they  not  dependent  on  you  for  bread?”  “Yes,”  was  the 
answer.  “ Well,  so  have  I,”  said  Mr.  E.,  “and  I am  confident  you 
are  not  the  man  to  take  my  life,  and  destroy  their  means  of  sup- 
port.” Moottan  Khan  hesitated  a moment,  then  said,  “ I will  save 
your  life  : follow  me  and  he  escorted  him  out  of  the  city. 


271 


TIIE  GARMENT  OF  PRAISE. 

* 

Mr.  E.  reached  a place  of  safety,  a village  owned  by  Ilurdeo 
Buksh,  a Talookdar,  a man  of  wealth  and  influence,  near  Futty- 
ghur,  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  Nynee  Tal.  For  many 
months  this  noble,  friendly  Hindoo,  at  great  peril,  sheltered  him, 
though  constantly  threatened  by  the  rebels  of  Futtyghur.  Mr. 

E.  after  some  time  succeeded  in  finding  a man  who,  by  the  prom- 
ise of  a large  reward,  was  induced  to  venture  to  carry  a message 
to  Mrs.  Edwards,  in  Nynee  Tal. 

She,  poor  lady,  was  mourning  for  her  husband  in  the  bitterness 
of  uncertainty  and  woe  unspeakable,  supposing  that,  like  the  rest, 
he  had  been  murdered. 

Judge  E.  procured  a small  piece  of  paper,  and  wrote  on  it  that  . 

he  was  still  alive,  and  even  well,  and  in  a village  named . Here 

he  wrote  the  name  of  the  village  in  Greek,  lest  the  note  should 
be  discovered.  He  then,  with  a small  knife,  slit  a bamboo  walk- 
ing stick,  inserted  the  tiny  missive,  and  withdrew  the  knife.  The 
slit  closed  so  completely  as  to  defy  the  skill  of  any  seeker,  though 
the  messenger  was  often  searched  by  the  rebel  police,  but  they 
never  imagined  that  there  was  a letter  in  the  walking-stick.  The 
faithful  native  reached  our  position  after  a variety  of  adventures, 
and  when  challenged  by  our  guards,  declared  he  was  a friend,  and 
that  he  had  a letter  for  delivery  to  Mem  Sahib  (Lady)  Edwards. 
They  conducted  him  to  her.  He  found  her  dressed  in  mourning, 
supposing  herself  a widow.  He  told  her  his  bamboo  stick  had  a 
letter  in  it  from  her  husband.  He  broke  it,  and  there  it  verily 
was,  in  his  own  handwriting.  In  addition  to  expressing  her  own 
joy  at  the  discovery,  she  knew  the  native  mind  and  character  well, 
and  how  to  impress  it,  and  that  it  was  necessary  that  her 
action  now  should  be  significant,  as  she  feared  her  reply  might  be 
lost,  or  would  have  to  be  destroyed  by  the  messenger  to  save  his 
life,  and  she  must  do  something  which  would  show  him  the  joy 
which  she  felt  ; so,  telling  him  to  wait,  she  retired,  and  soon  came 
back  again,  and  stood  before  him  arrayed  from  head  to  foot  in  ivhite 
clothing.  He  understood  her  perfectly,  and  started  back  by  night 
on  his  dangerous  journey  to  Judge  Edwards. 


272 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


“ Did  you  see  the  Mem  Sahib  ?” 

“Yes,  Sahib,”  said  the  good  fellow,  “ I saw  herself  in  person.” 

“ Well,  and  how  did  she  look,  and  what  had  she  to  say  to  you  ? ” 

In  his  estimation,  how  she  looked,  and  what  she  said,  were  all 
summed  up  in  one  fact. 

“ Sahib,  when  I gave  her  your  chittee  (letter)  she  was  clothed  in 
black,  but  when  she  read  the  chittee  she  immediately  went  into 
another  room,  and  soon  came  back  to  me  dressed  all  in  white!' 

The  affectionate  wife  and  husband  fully  comprehended  each 
other’s  feelings  in  that  action,  and  we  at  Nynee  Tal  rejoiced  with 
her  that  day  that  so  providentially  gave  her  “ the  oil  of  joy  for 
mourning  and  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness.” 
It  was  six  months  and  more  before  they  were  able  to  meet,  but 
they  could  henceforward  live  in  the  hope  of  being  again  united  in 
life  and  love  together.  There  was  one  less  on  our  mall  from  that 
day  forward  who  wore  mourning. 

Coming  down  the  hill  from  our  Thursday  afternoon  prayer- 
meeting one  day,  a military  officer  who  had  been  present  sought 
the  opportunity  of  a private  interview,  and  with  much  feeling  he 
said  to  me  : 

“ O,  sir,  permit  me  to  thank  you  from  my  heart  for  the  earnest 
prayers  which  you  put  up  to  God  this  afternoon  for  the  victory  of 
my  country’s  arms  !” 

I looked  at  the  man  and  smiled  ; asked  him  if  we  were  not  in 
“the  same  boat”  just  then,  or  whether  he  thought  it  likely  that 
those  wretches  down  there  would  pay  more  respect  to  my  Stars 
and  Stripes  than  to  his  English  ensign  ? 

So  we  lived,  and  watched,  and  prayed.  Meanwhile  the  terrible 
news  of  the  Sepoy  Rebellion  had  reached  the  shores  of  Europe 
and  America.  England  was  nerving  her  energies  for  our  relief. 
Troops  and  munitions  of  war  were  being  prepared  as  fast  as  possi- 
ble. A General,  supposed  equal  to  the  emergency,  was  found  in 
Sir  Colin  Campbell,  for  two  Commanders-in-Chief  had  already 
fallen,  (Generals  Anson  and  Barnard,)  and  the  little  English  army 
in  India  was  without  a head.  The  Queen  telegraphed  to  Sir  Colin, 


HELP  AT  LAST. 


2 73 


after  his  acceptance  of  the  position,  requesting  to  be  informed  when 
he  could  be  ready  to  leave  England  for  the  East  ? His  laconic  and 
Spartan  reply  was  telegraphed  back,  “To-morrow!”  The  old 
chief’s  promptitude  reminds  one  of  another  “to-morrow”  in  India’s 
history.  At  the  battle-field  of  Bidera,  when  Lord  Clive,  who  founded 
the  British  Empire  in  the  East,  was  Governor-General,  Forde,  who 
commanded,  applied  for  written  authority  to  begin  the  attack.  His 
note  reached  Clive  as  he  was  playing  cards  with  his  company,  and 
without  quitting  his  scat,  he  took  a pencil  and  wrote — 

“Dear  Forde:  Fight  them  immediately,  and  I will  send  you 
the  order  in  council  to-morrow  !” 

Sir  Colin,  of  course,  outran  his  army,  for  they  could  not,  like 
him,  start  “ to-morrow.”  But  a merciful  Providence  had  provided 
a vanguard  of  help  in  the  army  from  Persia,  (with  which  peace  had 
just  been  concluded,)  on  their  return  to  India.  With  this  little 
force  was  that  great  and  good  man,  General  Havelock,  whose 
promptitude  and  wonderful  valor  did  so  much  to  turn  the  dreadful 
tide,  and  rescue  the  besieged  long  months  ere  Sir  Colin  Campbell 
or  his  troops  could  reach  India.  General  Havelock,  returning  vic- 
torious from  Persia,  landed  at  Bombay  with  his  Highlanders  on 
the  very  day  before  the  massacre  at  Bareilly.  Unable  to  cross  the 
country,  he  went  around  by  sea  to  Calcutta  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
reaching  there  June  17,  having  been  delayed  on  the  way  by  the 
total  shipwreck  of  the  vessel  which  carried  him.  His  troops  fol- 
lowed, and  all  that  could  be  done  to  prepare  for  pushing  up  the 
country  was  accomplished  by  this  indefatigable  man,  whom  God 
had  brought  so  opportunely  to  our  aid. 

Not  a day  too  soon  did  his  succor  come.  Up  to  that  hour  the 
Sepoys  had  it  all  their  own  way ; one  post  after  another  had  fallen 
before  them  ; they  were  gaining  ground  every  week,  and  the  hor- 
rors of  the  situation  for  the  English  were  deepening  daily.  Sepoy 
success  was  followed  by  more  desperate  resolutions  and  more  ter- 
rible measures,  falsehood  and  blasphemy  being  added  in  any  quan- 
tity for  their  purpose.  The  measures  and  spirit  of  these  men  may 


274 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


be  judged  from  a sample  of  their  public  proclamations,  issued  from 
Delhi  and  Cawnpore  to  the  whole  Sepoy  army,  and  the  officials 
and  people. 

The  first  proclamation  was  issued  in  the  name  of  the  Emperor's 
army  defending  Delhi,  which  the  little  English  army  was  then  try- 
ing to  besiege ; and  the  Mogul  Court  desired  to  draw  the  whole 
Sepoy  force  in  that  direction  to  annihilate  them.  The  glaring 
falsehoods  in  the  following  proclamation  are  manifest  enough  : 

“ To  all  Hindoos  and  Mussulmans,  Citizens  and  Servants  of  Hin- 
dustan, the  Officers  of  the  Army  now  at  Delhi  send  greeting : 

“It  is  well  known  that  in  these  days  all  the  English  have  enter- 
tained these  evil  designs — first  to  destroy  the  religion  of  the  whole 
Hindustanee  army,  and  then  to  make  the  people  Christians  by 
compulsion.  Therefore  we,  solely  on  account  of  our  religion,  have 
combined  with  the  people,  and  have  not  spared  alive  one  infidel, 
and  have  re-established  the  Delhi  dynasty  on  these  terms,  and  thus 
act  in  obedience  to  orders,  and  receive  double  pay.  Hundreds  of 
guns  and  a large  amount  of  treasure  have  fallen  into  our  hands  ; 
therefore  it  is  fitting  that  whoever  of  the  soldiers  and  the  people 
dislike  turning  Christians  should  unite  with  one  heart  and  act 
courageously,  not  leaving  the  seed  of  these  infidels  remaining. 
Whoever  shall  in  these  times  exhibit  cowardice  or  credulity  by 
believing  the  promises  of  those  impostors,  the  English,  shall  very 
shortly  be  put  to  shame  for  such  a deed  ; and,  rubbing  the  hands 
of  sorrow,  shall  receive  for  their  fidelity  the  reward  the  ruler  of 
Lucknow  got.  It  is  further  necessary  that  all  Hindoos  and  Mus- 
sulmans unite  in  this  struggle,  and  that  all,  so  far  as  it  is  possible, 
copy  this  proclamation,  and  dispatch  it  every-where,  so  that  all 
true  Hindoos  and  Mussulmans  may  be  alive  and  watchful,  and  fix 
it  in  some  conspicuous  place,  (but  prudently,  to  avoid  detection,) 
and  strike  a blow  with  a sword  before  giving  circulation  to  it.  The 
first  pay  of  the  soldiers  at  Delhi  will  be  thirty  rupees  per  month 
for  a trooper,  and  ten  rupees  for  a footman,  [a  large  advance  on 
the  English  allowance.]  Nearly  one  hundred  thousand  men  arc 


LYING  AND  BLASPHEMOUS  PROCLAMATIONS  275 

ready  ; and  there  are  thirteen  flags  of  the  English  regiments,  and 
about  fourteen  standards  from  different  parts,  now  raised  aloft  for 
our  religion,  for  God,  and  the  conqueror  ; and  it  is  the  intention  ol 
Cawnpore  to  root  out  the  seed  of  the  devil.  1 his  is  what  we  of  the 
army  here  wish.” 

But  this  was  mildness  compared  to  the  following  blasphemous 
proclamation  next  issued  from  Cawnpore  by  the  Nana  Sahib : 

“ As  by  the  kindness  of  God,  and  the  good  fortune  of  the  Em- 
peror, all  the  Christians  who  were  at  Delhi,  Poonah,  Sattara,  and 
other  places,  and  even  those  five  thousand  European  soldiers  who 
went  in  disguise  into  the  former  city  and  were  discovered,  are 
destroyed  and  sent  to  hell  by  the  pious  and  sagacious  troops  who 
are  firm  to  their  religion  ; and  as  they  have  all  been  conquered  by 
the  present  Government ; and  as  no  trace  of  them  is  left  in  these 
places — it  is  the  duty  of  all  the  subjects  and  servants  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  rejoice  at  the  delightful  intelligence,  and  carry  on  their 
respective  work  with  comfort  and  ease. 

“ As  by  the  bounty  of  the  glorious  Almighty  and  the  enemy- 
destroying  fortune  of  the  Emperor,  the  yellow-faced  and  narrow- 
minded people  have  been  sent  to  hell,  and  Cawnpore  has  been 
conquered,  it  is  necessary  that  all  the  subjects,  and  land-owners, 
and  Government  servants  should  be  as  obedient  to  the  present 
Government  as  they  have  been  to  the  former  one ; that  it  is  the 
incumbent  duty  of  all  the  peasants  and  landed  proprietors  of  every 
district  to  rejoice  at  the  thought  that  the  Christians  have  been  sent 
to  hell,  and  both  the  Hindoo  and  Mohammedan  religions  have  been 
confirmed  ; and  that  they  should  as  usual  be  obedient  to  the  author- 
ities of  the  Government,  and  never  suffer  any  complaint  against 
themselves  to  reach  to  the  ears  of  the  higher  authority.” 

But  even  this  is  exceeded  by  the  outrageous  falsehoods  of  the 
proclamation  with  which  he  further  imposed  upon  their  credulity, 
and  tried  to  rouse  them  to  greater  efforts.  It  finished  up  with 
what  he  deemed  to  be  a suitable  quotation  from  one  of  the  Persian 
poets,  and  ran  thus : 


2 76 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


THE  PROCLAMATION  OF  THE  NANA  SAHIB. 

“A  traveler  just  arrived  at  Cawnpore  from  Allahabad  states  that 
just  before  the  cartridges  were  distributed,  a Council  (of  the  Gov- 
ernor-General at  Calcutta)  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  taking  away 
the  religion  and  rights  of  the  people  of  Hindustan.  The  Members 
of  Council  came  to  the  conclusion  that,  as  the  matter  was  one 
affecting  religion,  seven  or  eight  thousand  Europeans  would  be 
required,  and  it  would  cost  the  lives  of  fifty  thousand  Hindoos,  but 
at  this  price  the  natives  of  Hindustan  would  become  Christians. 
The  matter  was  therefore  represented  in  a dispatch  to  Queen  Vic- 
toria, who  gave  her  consent.  A second  Council  was  then  held,  at 
which  the  English  merchants  were  present.  It  was  then  resolved 
to  ask  for  the  assistance  of  a body  of  European  troops,  equal  in 
number  to  the  native  army,  so  as  to  insure  success.  When  the 
dispatch  containing  this  application  was  read  in  England,  thirty- 
five  thousand  Europeans  were  very  rapidly  embarked  on  ships,  and 
started  for  Hindustan.  Then  the  English  in  Calcutta  issued  the 
order  for  the  distribution  of  the  cartridges,  the  object  of  which  was 
to  make  Hindustan  Christian.  The  cartridges  were  smeared  with 
hog  and  cow’s  fat.  One  man  who  let  out  the  secret  was  hung,  and 
one  imprisoned. 

“ Meantime  the  embassador  of  the  Sultan  of  Roum  (Turkey)  in 
London  sent  word  to  his  sovereign  that  thirty-five  thousand  Euro- 
peans had  been  dispatched  to  Hindustan  to  make  all  the  natives 
Christians.  The  Sultan  (may  Allah  perpetuate  his  kingdom !) 
issued  a firman  to  the  Pasha  of  Egypt,  the  contents  of  which  are 
as  follows:  ‘You  are  conspiring  with  Queen  Victoria.  If  you  are 
guilty  of  neglect  in  this  matter,  what  kind  of  face  will  you  be  able 
to  show  to  God  ?’ 

“ When  this  firman  of  the  Sultan  of  Roum  reached  the  Pasha  of 
Egypt,  the  Lord  of  Egypt  assembled  his  army  in  the  city  of  Alex- 
andria, which  is  on  the  road  to  India,  before  the  Europeans  arrived. 
As  soon  as  the  European  troops  arrived  the  troops  of  the  Pasha  of 
Egypt  began  to  fire  into  them  with  guns  on  all  sides,  and  sunk  all 


THE  REAL  SPIRIT  OF  TIIE  MOSLEM  CREED.  2"J"J 

their  ships,  so  that  not  even  a single  European  escaped.  The 
English  in  Calcutta,  after  issuing  orders  for  biting  the  cartridges, 
and  when  these  disturbances  had  reached  their  height,  were  look- 
ing for  the  assistance  of  the  army  from  London.  But  the  Almighty, 
by  the  exercise  of  his  power,  made  an  end  of  them  at  the  very  out- 
set. When  intelligence  of  the  destruction  of  the  army  from  London 
arrived,  the  Governor-General  was  much  grieved  and  distressed, 
and  beat  his  head. 

“ ‘ At  eventide  he  intended  murder  and  plunder  ; 

At  noon  neither  had  his  body  a head  nor  his  head  a cover. 

In  one  revolution  of  the  blue  heavens 

Neither  Nadir  remained,  nor  a follower  of  Nadir.’ 

“Done  by  the  order  of  his  Grace  the  Peishwa,  1273  of  the 
Hegira.” 

Of  course  every  word  of  this  was  believed  by  the  Sepoys,  for 
they  not  only  had  the  proclamations  of  their  Emperor  and  the 
Peishwa,  but  their  Fakirs  stood  sponsors  to  the  hideous  falsehoods. 

How  appropriate  is  all  this  to  the  spirit  of  the  Moslem  creed — 
a Government  communicating  to  its  subjects  “ the  delightful  intel- 
ligence,” not  that  its  enemies  were  defeated  or  slain,  but  that  they 
were  damned — “ sent  to  hell ! ” Worthy  indeed  to  be  the  succes- 
sors of  Tamerlane,  who,  after  proving  his  claim  to  the  title  of  “ the 
scourge  of  God,”  and  marking  his  long  track  with  massacre  and 
desolation,  coolly  and  complacently  wrote  with  his  own  hand  in  his 
memoir  that  he  felt  it  to  be  “ a pious  duty  to  assist  God  in  filling 
hell  chock-full  of  men  and  genii.” 

When,  in  1856,  Sir  Culling  Eardly,  the  President  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Alliance,  wrote  to  Dr.  Duff,  of  Calcutta,  to  ascertain  the  real 
sentiment  of  Mohammedans  in  India  on  a question  in  which  the 
British  people  felt  interested,  (as  their  Government  were  then 
pressing  certain  reforms  on  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  involving  the 
principles  of  religious  liberty  for  his  subjects,)  the  world  were  some- 
what surprised  at  Dr.  Duff’s  reply.  His  inquiries  led  him  to  the 
conviction  that  Mohammedanism  (like  Popery)  is  unchangeable; 
that,  where  it  has  the  power,  it  would  not  only  enforce  its  claims 


278 


TEE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


and  creed,  but  would  do  so  at  the  sword’s  point.  Individual 
Mohammedans  may,  like  individual  Romanists,  be  and  are  excep- 
tions to  this  statement,  and  better  than  their  training ; but  I speak 
of  the  system  and  of  the  general  action — and  here  are  its  terrible 
illustrations  in  the  hour  of  its  opportunity. 

Our  fate  evidently  hung  upon  that  of  Delhi.  If  that  city  fell,  we 
should  probably  be  saved  ; if  not,  we  must  expect  the  worst,  and 
that  soon.  But  what  could  less  than  seven  thousand  soldiers  and 
a few  Sikh  and  Ghoorka  allies  do,  and  that  in  the  open  air  and 
in  the  hottest  season  of  the  India  year,  against  a strongly-fortified 
city,  behind  whose  walls  from  forty  to  sixty  thousand  Sepoys 
fought ! The  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Sepoys  was  Bukt  Khan, 
an  acquaintance  of  my  own,  for  he  was  from  Bareilly,  and  was 
Subadar  of  Artillery  under  our  friend  Major  Kirby.  When  I have 
sat  with  the  Major  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  and  seen  this  sleek 
Sepoy  come  in,  with  such  profound  courtesy  to  us  both,  to  deliver 
his  daily  report,  how  little  I could  have  imagined  the  part  he 
would  yet,  and  so  soon,  play  behind  the  walls  of  Delhi,  with  the 
Major’s  coat  and  cocked  hat  upon  him,  and  his  sword  by  his  side ! 

Even  though  that  handful  of  Englishmen  could  not  take  the  city 
till  they  obtained  more  assistance,  it  was  of  immense  benefit  to  us 
and  to  India  that  they  held  so  many  Sepoys  fast  there.  The  rebels: 
came  out  in  force  on  the  23d  of  June,  and  fought  for  thirteen  hours. 
Their  “astrologers”  had  declared  that  “unless  they  should  beat 
the  English  army  on  that  day"  (the  anniversary  and  centenary  of 
the  battle  of  Plassey,  the  most  important  action  of  the  English  in 
India)  “ the  British  would  hold  the  country  forever .”  Hence  the 
force  and  numbers  with  which  they  attacked,  and  the  perseverance 
with  which  they  kept  up  the  contest.  They  were  repulsed,  how- 
ever, leaving,  as  usual,  the  English  masters  of  the  field.  They 
were  much  discouraged  at  their  failure.  Their  loss  on  that  day 
was,  after  all,  but  small — not  over  500 ; their  mode  of  fighting 
accounts  for  this.  When  they  can  choose  their  own  ground  and 
method  they  are  very  averse  to  any  thing  like  “close  quarters,” 
and  much  like  the  long-shot  mode  of  warfare.  This,  and  lurking 


OUR  RAM  PORE  FRIEND. 


279 


under  the  shelter  of  the  garden  walls  that  surround  Delhi,  was  the 
leading  reason  why  the  English  could  not  manage  them.  Had 
they  come  out  and  fought  in  the  open  field,  the  General  would 
gladly  have  met  them,  even  with  his  so  much  smaller  force,  and  a 
single  day  would  probably  have  decided  the  whole  contest.  Be- 
sides, they  found  it  made  a great  difference  to  them  whether  they 
were  led  by  English  officers  or  by  officers  of  their  own  race. 

Our  provisions  were  now  becoming  more  and  more  scarce  and 
dear.  Instead  of  one  hundred  eggs  for  sixty-two  and  a half  cents, 
as  it  used  to  be,  we  had  now  to  pay  five  cents  for  a single  egg,  and 
all  other  things  rose  in  value  about  in  the  same  proportion.  Just 
in  our  extremity,  and  quite  unexpectedly  to  us,  the  Nawab  of  Ram- 
pore,  a territory  in  the  plains  on  the  south  of  our  position,  sent  up 
a confidential  messenger  to  inquire  what  he  could  do  for  us  ? This 
was  a great  surprise,  as  he  was  a Mohammedan  and  governed  a 
Mohammedan  State,  and  we  supposed  that  he  would  have  gone 
with  the  Delhi  conspirators.  But,  in  the  hour  of  decision,  he 
remembered  that  he  owed  his  throne  to  the  justice  of  the  English 
Government,  which  refused  to  carry  out  the  will  of  the  former  sov- 
ereign of  Rampore,  one  of  whose  wives  induced  him  to  arrange  so 
as  to  cut  off  the  rightful  heir  in  favor  of  her  little  son.  The  English 
declined  to  commit  this  wrong,  but,  instead,  confirmed  the  present 
Nawab  ; and  now,  when  he  was  appealed  to  by  the  Delhi  faction  to 
join  them,  he  declared  that,  come  what  might,  he  would  never  draw 
his  sword  against  a people  whose  justice  had  defended  his  rights. 
He  quietly  withstood  all  their  persuasions  and  threats,  even  at  per- 
sonal hazard,  and  was  faithfully  sustained  in  his  resolution  by  his 
Minister  and  the  Commander-in-chief  of  his  little  army — two  men 
whom  I had  afterward  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  publicly  rewarded 
for  their  fidelity. 

This  was  a great  providence  for  us.  Had  the  Nawab  proved  hos- 
tile, especially  as  our  south  pass  touched  his  territory,  our  position 
would  have  been  probably  untenable  for  a single  week.  But  he 
quietly  covered  our  danger  on  that  side,  and  left  our  defenders 
more  free  to  watch  our  Bareilly  foes  on  the  east  pass.  What  he 


280 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


did  in  our  favor,  however,  he  had  to  do  quietly,  so  as  not  to  rouse 
the  fanaticism  of  his  own  population,  or  the  hostility  of  Khan 
Bahadur  Khan. 

On  ascertaining  our  extremity  he  sent  us  rice,  sugar,  flour,  etc., 
with  some  medicine  and  money — what  he  could  spare  and  safely 
remit  to  us.  We  were  certainly  very  much  obliged  to  “his  High- 
ness” for  these  unlooked-for  succors.  But  even  his  messengers 

o 

could  not  restrain  their  bigotry : they  duly  informed  our  few  Ghoor- 
kas  (hill  soldiers)  that  “the  ‘King  of  Rohilcund’  had  raised  an 
army  of  twenty  thousand,  and  was  casting  cannon,  etc.  ; also,  that 
the  Emperor  of  Delhi  had  taken  the  Fort  of  Calcutta,  and  his  vic- 
torious armies  were  spreading  all  over  the  country  ! ” So  that  even 
this  help  brought  its  own  danger  with  it,  and  increased  our  anxiety. 

The  road  to  the  Punjab  through  Kurnal  was  most  providentially 
kept  open.  The  Punjab  was  the  only  source  from  which  a man,  or 
a barrel  of  flour,  or  a case  of  modicine,  could  reach  the  English 
army  before  Delhi.  Had  that  road  been  closed  upon  them,  their 
condition  must  soon  have  become  desperate.  But  the  circumstances 
that  retained  that  key  of  their  position  in  friendly  hands  was  as 
providential  as  the  good  will  of  the  Rampore  Nawab  toward  us  at 
Nynee  Tal.  Mr.  Le  Bas,  the  Judge  of  Delhi,  owed  his  life  on  the 
day  of  the  slaughter  to  the  speed  of  his  horse.  He  reached  Kurnal, 
about  forty  miles  to  the  north-west,  and  sought  an  interview  with 
the  Nawab.  It  was  the  hour  of  England’s  deepest  humiliation,  and 
Le  Bas  trembled  for  the  loyalty  of  the  Nawab.  But  early  the  fol- 
lowing morning  he  came  to  Mr.  Le  Bas  and  said  : “ I have  spent 
a sleepless  night  in  meditating  on  the  state  of  affairs.  I have 
decided  to  throw  in  my  lot  with  yours.  My  sword,  my  purse,  and 
my  followers  are  at  your  disposal.” 

Faithfully  did  the  brave  Nawab  redeem  his  promise,  and  at  the 
head  of  his  little  force  he  saved  many  a European  life,  several  ladies 
among  them,  and  kept  the  road  to  the  Punjab  open  till  Delhi  fell, 
and  the  English  Empire  was  restored. 

It  is  also  a pleasure  to  record  another  instance  of  wonderful 
humanity  from  a very  unexpected  quarter.  In  the  month  of  July 


OUR  SUDDEN  FLIGHT  FROM  NTNEE  TAL.  281 

a Fakir  named  Himam  Bhartee  found  his  way  to  Meerut,  and  pre- 
sented himself  before  Mr.  Greathead,  the  Commissioner,  with  a little 
European  baby  in  his  arms,  which  he  had  found  deserted  and  alone 
near  the  Jumna  River.  He  had  taken  care  of  it,  and  even  defended 
its  life  at  great  risk  to  himself,  and  delivered  it  up  safe  and  sound. 
Mr.  Greathead  was  delighted,  and  pressed  the  Fakir  to  receive  a 
reward  ; but  he  would  accept  none,  and  only  expressed  a desire 
that  a Well  might  be  made  to  bear  his  name  and  commemorate  the 
act.  The  Commissioner  promised  it  should  be  done,  and  the  Fakir 
departed  well  pleased.  Let  the  name  of  this  humane  creature  live 
here,  and  my  readers  remember  Himam  Bhartee,  of  Dhunoura. 
The  parents  of  the  little  one  were  never  discovered  ; but  good 
Samaritans  were  found  to  adopt  and  love  it. 

The  sad  monotony  of  our  life  was  suddenly  disturbed  early  on 
Sunday  morning,  August  4th,  by  an  imperative  message  from  pur 
Commander,  ordering  all  the  ladies  and  children,  with  three  or  four 
gentlemen  in  charge  of  them,  away  at  once  that  day  from  Nynee 
Tal  to  Almorah,  thirty  miles  farther  into  the  mountains.  Informa- 
tion that  he  had  received  required  this  movement  as  a matter  of 
precaution  to  them,  while  it  would  leave  their  husbands  more  free 
and  unshackled  to  meet  the  emergencies  that  were  expected  to 
arise. 

Several  reasons  had  concurred  to  lead  to  this  measure.  First  of 
all,  our  provisions  were  becoming  exhausted,  and  our  supplies  from 
below  being  (except  from  the  Rampore  side)  cut  off,  the  Commis- 
sioner felt  himself  quite  puzzled  to  sustain  our  market. 

In  the  next  place,  the  delay  of  the  fall  of  Delhi  was  rendering 
our  enemies  more  rampant,  in  the  expectation  that  they  would  soon 
weary  out  and  destroy  the  little  English  army  (now  reduced,  be- 
sides Ghoorkas  and  Sikhs,  to  twenty-five  hundred  European  bayo- 
nets) before  its  walls  ; and  then  they  hoped  to  make  short  work  in 
other  parts  of  the  country. 

Another  reason  was,  that  our  friend  the  Nawab  of  Rampore  was 
considered  to  be  exposed  to  peculiar  danger  at  the  approaching 
Eyde,  (an  annual  festival  of  the  Mohammedans,  during  which  they 


282 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


are  peculiarly  excitable.)  The  Navvab’s  refusal  to  join  the  Bareilly 
rebels,  and  his  kindness  in  sending  us  supplies  and  money,  had 
rendered  him  very  unpopular  with  the  Mohammedan  fanatics 
among  his  people,  and  it  was  feared  that,  during  the  Eyde,  he 
might  be  assassinated,  in  which  case  his  successor  would  probably 
have  been  elected  with  the  express  understanding  that  he  should 
do  what  he  could  to  aid  the  rebel  interests,  and,  likely,  to  begin  by 
an  attempt  to  cut  us  off,  as  we  were  close  at  hand. 

The  next  and  chief  reason  for  our  removal  was,  that  Khan 
Bahadar  Khan,  the  new  “ King  of  Rohilcund,”  had  actually  dis- 
patched an  increased  force  from  Bareilly  to  Nynee  Tal,  in  order  to 
destroy  us  ; and  the  Commissioner  had  certain  information  on 
Saturday  morning  that  they  had  not  only  started,  but  were  en- 
camped at  Bahari,  mid-way  between  Nynee  Tal  and  Bareilly. 

Still,  even  this  alone  would  not  have  caused  us  to  leave,  for  “ his 

♦ 

army  ” were  not  likely  to  look  our  three  hundred  Ghoorka  troops 
in  the  face,  much  less  to  have  gone  near  the  cannon  and  the  body 
of  English  gentlemen  with  which  we  had  fortified  the  head  of  the 
pass.  But  our  anxiety  was,  that  inasmuch  as  preparation  to  meet 
them  involved  the  withdrawal  of  all  the  troops  and  the  gentlemen 
from  Nynee  Tal,  this  would  necessarily  leave  our  ladies  and  chil- 
dren unprotected  against  any  attempt  that  such  an  hour  of  oppor- 
tunity would  present  to  the  Mohammedans  in  the  Nynee  Tal 
Bazaar.  Were  they  to  rise  while  we  were  below,  they  might 
slaughter  every  soul  of  them  in  a single  hour,  and  the  more  easily, 
should  the  rebels  below  agree,  as  they  likely  would,  to  attack  us  at 
both  passes  at  once,  so  as  to  divide  our  little  force. 

The  distance  from  Nynee  Tal  to  Almorah  is  thirty  miles  over 
the  mountains,  by  a path  which  varies  from  four  to  six  feet  in 
width.  It  runs  in  some  places  on  the  very  verge  of  precipices  that 
are  as  nearly  perpendicular  as  possible,  while  the  depths  below  are 
sometimes  frightful  to  look  at.  It  requires  great  steadiness  and 
care,  from  the  rough  and  narrow  path  to  be  traversed,  to  go  with- 
out danger,  while  in  some  places  a single  false  step,  especially  at 
night,  is  instant  destruction. 


IN  PERILS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS  AGAIN. 


283 


Ladies  are  carried  in  a little  chair-like  vehicle  by  four  men,  with 
four  to  relieve.  Gentlemen  generally  ride  one  of  the  hill  ponies, 
which  are  very  sure-footed.  The  journey  occupies  three  days,  ten 
miles  being  as  much  as  can  be  comfortably  accomplished  in  one 
day. 

When  our  sudden  order  of  departure  came  I arranged  every- 
thing for  the  ladies  intrusted  to  my  charge,  and  sent  them  on, 
expecting  to  follow  and  overtake  them  in  a short  time ; but  such 
was  the  demand,  I could  not  obtain  coolies  enough  to  take  their 
luggage  (including  food  and  bedding,  which  travelers  must  always 
carry  with  them)  till  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon.  I then  started, 
but  the  lateness  of  the  hour  entailed  on  me  a great  deal  of  toil  and 
suffering.  Indeed,  I never  had  such  a journey  in  all  my  life  as 
that  was.  Fo*r  an  hour  or  two  I made  my  way  tolerably  well. 
The  sunset  was  brilliant,  and  among  other  objects  of  interest  were 
immense  lizards  (some  of  them  full  fourteen  inches  long)  which  were 
darting  across  my  path  and  over  the  verges.  My  way  lay  over 
and  around  a succession  of  mountains — so  it  was  constantly  up  and 
down — the  valleys  between  varying  from  a quarter  of  a mile  to  a 
mile  in  width.  The  little  torrents  had  torn  the  path  here  and 
there,  and  in  some  places  it  was  so  rocky  and  rough  that  it  was 
very  hard  work  to  pick  one’s  way  over  it.  Going  down  the  hill 
was,  from  the  precipitous  and  stony  condition  of  the  narrow  path, 
something  like  going  down  an  irregular  flight  of  stairs  a mile  or 
more  in  length. 

The  daylight  began  to  decline,  and  my  little  pony  showed  symp- 
toms of  unsteadiness.  The  heavy  rains  had  softened  the  edge  of 
the  path,  and  .rendered  it  liable  to  give  way  under  very  moderate 
pressure,  so  that  caution  was  doubly  necessary.  At  one  place  that 
looked  doubtful  I dismounted,  and  had  not  gone  many  yards  when 
one  of  the  hind  feet  of  the  pony  sank,  which  caused  him  to  stag- 
ger, and  in  a moment  he  went  hastily  over  the  precipice.  The 
jerk  on  the  reins  caused  one  of  the  bit  buckles  to  give  way,  which 
was  a great  mercy,  as  it  gave  me  an  instant  in  which  to  turn  round 

and  lay  some  pressure  on  the  reins  as  they  flew  through  my  hand, 

16 


284 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


and  I was  thus  enabled  in  some  degree  to  arrest  his  downward 
progress  before  he  went  too  far  to  be  recovered. 

There  he  clung,  the  poor  brute,  with  merely  his  nose  above  the 
edge  of  the  precipice,  and  he  eagerly  holding  on  to  the  bank  like  a 
man  standing  on  a ladder.  Beneath  him  sloped  down  the  decliv- 
ity for  several  hundred  feet,  till  the  mist  terminated  the  view  ; 
what  was  beyond  that  limit  I could  only  infer  by  the  roar  of  the 
river  beneath,  which  sounded  very  deep  indeed,  so  that  had  the 
poor  fellow  missed  his  hold,  or  taken  one  roll,  his  doom  was  cer- 
tain. In  an  emergency  how  rapidly  one  can  think!  There  was  no 
help  within  many  miles,  and  a very  few  minutes  would  decide  his 
fate.  I had  sold  his  worthy  predecessor,  when  rather  hard  pressed 
for  cash,  and  had  paid  only  forty  dollars  for  him  ; but  he  looked 
very  valuable  as  he  hung  on  that  precipice,  and  I imagined  to 
myself  what  could  I do  without  him  there  in  that  wilderness,  with 
such  a journey  before  me,  and  I alone  ; the  night,  too,  falling  fast. 
I felt  for  the  poor  creature,  and  I pitied  myself,  for  I could  ill 
afford  to  lose  him,  particularly  there  and  then.  To  get  him 
straight  up  would  ha\  e required  twenty  men’s  strength.  No  time 
was  to  be  lost.  I feared  every  moment  that  he  would  -begin  to 
struggle,  and  then  I must  be  prepared  to  know  how  long  I dare 
hold  on,  and  what  instant  I must  let  him  go,  lest  he  should  jerk 
me  over  along  with  himself,  and  both  be  lost.  A thought  struck 
me.  I got  his  head  round  on  one  side  ; he  seemed  to  understand 
my  object,  and  slightly  shifted  one  foot,  while  I held  him  as  fast 
as  I dared  by  the  rein.  He  then  dug  the  other  foot  into  the 
ground,  and  soon  I had  the  gratification  of  having  him  right  across 
the  hill,  and  then  by  a little  maneuvering  I moved  him,  step  by 
step,  till  I got  him  up.  He  was  not  much  hurt,  and  after  a little 
while  I mounted,  but  had  not  proceeded  half  a mile  when  he  trod 
on  another  soft  edge.  I felt  him  stagger,  and  had  just  time  to  free 
my  right  foot  from  the  stirrup,  and  pitch  off  into  the  mud  of  the 
road,  as  he  went  over  the  bank.  There  I hung,  half-way  on  the 
path,  my  legs  dangling  over  the  margin.  Having  scrambled  up,  I 
saw  that  he  had  dropped  down  about  twelve  feet,  on  a heap  of 


IJOIIT  IN  THE  DARKNESS. 


285 


sharp  stones,  and  on  going  down  to  him  I found  his  hind  shoes 
torn  off,  and  he  lamed  and  much  injured.  I managed  to  get  him 
up  again  to  the  path  ; but,  alas  ! he  was  now  worse  than  no  horse 
at  all.  Seven  long  miles  of  that  narrow  and  dangerous  road  lay 
between  me  and  the  dak  Bungalow,  and  he  could  not  walk  a 
step  only  as  I dragged  him  along.  1 he  night  soon  fled,  and  he 
failed  fast.  Never  in  all  my  life  have  I felt  any  thing  so  lonely  as 
was  that  weary  walk  through  those  dark  woods  and  over  those 
hi«-h  mountains.  The  keen  remembrance  of  it  will  go  with  me  to 
the  grave.  The  poor  animal  had  some  of  the  stumps  of  the  nails 
in  his  hoofs,  which  every  step  seemed  to  drive  higher  as  he  trod 
on  the  stony  path,  until  at  last  it  was  real  misery  to  look  at  him  as 
he  slowly  and  painfully  limped  along.  What  to  do  I could  not  tell  ; 
he  was  getting  worse  every  step.  To  abandon  him  seemed  cruel,  and 
yet  to  stay  with  him,  without  even  the  means  of  lighting  a fire,  was 
to  expose  myself  to  equal  danger.  I had  no  alternative  but  to  bring 
him  along  as  well  as  I could  ; so  I pulled  him  on  over  the  rocks  and 
streams,  and  up  the  hills,  till  I became  utterly  spent.  The  solitude 
around  was  something  dreadful  — no  sound  save  the  occasional 
yells  of  the  wild  animals — and  I was  obliged  to  keep  a sharp  look- 
out lest  we  should  be  pounced  upon  by  a tiger.  I had  my  gun  on 
my  shoulder,  but  the  only  charge  I had  with  me  was  in  it,  so  that  one 
shot  was  my  whole  dependence  in  that  line.  Another  element  of 
anxiety  was  the  fact  that  at  the  cross  paths  there  were  no  sign- 
boards, and  painful  indeed  was  the  suspense  sometimes  felt  as  to 
which  road  to  take,  or  whether  I was  on  the  right  path  at  all. 
Many  an  earnest  prayer  I put  up  to  God  at  some  of  these  doubtful 
points  that  He  would  in  mercy  .guide  me  aright.  The  heat  in  the 
woods  and  valleys  was  great,  and  this,  added  to  my  exertions, 
caused  so  much  perspiration  that  it  fast  exhausted  my  remaining 
strength,  till  at  last  I had  to  sit  down  and  calculate  what  was  to  be 
done.  I was  also  faint  from  hunger,  having  only  had  a light  and 
very  early  breakfast,  and  neither  dinner  nor  supper.  My  tongue 
swelled,  and  seemed  to  fill  my  mouth.  As  I sat  there  and  thought 
of  all  I had  given  up  for  India,  perhaps  it  was  pardonable  that,  for 


286 


TEE  LANE  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


a moment,  I indulged  a longing  for  the  peace  and  privileges  of  the 
happy  land  I had  left  ; but  it  was  only  for  a moment,  and  all  was 
right  again.  I felt  I was  just  where  I would  like  best  to  be,  though 
for  the  present  these  trials  seemed  hard  to  bear.  It  was  an  hour  of 
unusual  experience,  and  the  depression  was  correspondent  to  it. 
The  hunger,  the  darkness,  the  surrounding  danger,  the  heat  and 
laborious  exertion,  with  the  uncertainty  of  my  whereabouts,  and 
the  probable  distance  of  any  help,  all  together  constituted  such  a 
drain  on  my  strength,  and  hope,  and  fortitude,  as  I never  before 
endured.  To  complete  my  calamities,  both  my  boots  had  given 
way  on  the  stony  paths,  and  my  feet  were  wet  as  well  as  sore. 

As  I was  looking  round  for  a tree  in  which  I might  spend  the 
night,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  animals,  (for  I felt  as  if  I could  go  no 
farther,)  I recollected  Brother  Stevens  and  “Old  Jeddy,”  and  the 
“ rest  at  home  ” that  cheered  him  on  that  eventful  night  in  the  wil- 
derness. I lifted  up  my  heart  to  God  and  asked  for  strength  for 
body  and  for  soul ; and  there,  in  the  midst  of  my  gloom  and  soli- 
tude, I was  cheered  by  the  presence  of  my  heavenly  Father.  A 
train  of  delightful  reflections  set  in.  I thought  of  my  own  deep 
indebtedness  to  the  Divine  mercy  ; I thought  of  our  Church,  and 
thfc  glorious  work  that  God  had  spread  before  her ; and  I thought 
of  my  own  mission,  and  of  that  future  day  when  it  would  spread 
among  these  degraded  multitudes,  and  when  they  would  love  the 
Redeemer  as  I loved  him  then ! How  these  thoughts  and  feelings 
braced  up  my  soul  for  life  and  duty ! Exhaustion  w'as  forgotten, 
and  my  full  heart  gushed  out  in  strong  affection  toward  the  blessed 
Jesus,  until  I felt  ready  to  bear  any  thing  for  his  dear  sake.  I felt 
it  easy  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  my  state,  with  all  its  weari- 
ness, was  one  that  I would  not  exchange  with  any  of  the  votaries 
of  this  world’s  pleasure  or  ease.  I rose  to  my  feet,  and  these  words 
came  from  the  depths  of  my  heart,  and  went  up  on  the  night  air  to 
heaven  : 

“ In  a dry  land,  behold  I place 
My  whole  desire  on  thee,  O Lord ; 

And  more  I joy  to  gain  thy  grace 

Than  all  earth’s  treasures  can  afford.” 


WE  REACH  ALMORAU. 


287 


Shortly  after,  when  climbing  round  the  spur  of  one  of  the 
mountains,  the  dense  clouds  separated  and  exposed  to  view  right 
before  me  the  “ Snowy  Range  ” towering  up  so  majestically  to  the 
skies ! The  full  moon  was  shining  upon  it,  and  imparting  to  it 
that  purple  tint  which  makes  it  look  so  lovely  and  so  unearthly ! 
It  was  the  grandest  natural  sight  I ever  beheld,  and  to  me  was  brill- 
iantly suggestive  of  that  “ land  of  rest,”  where  the  sun  shall  no 
more  go  down,  neither  shall  the  moon  withdraw  itself;  but  the 
Lord  shall  be  unto  us  an  everlasting  light,  and  the  days  of  our 
mourning  shall  be  ended  ! 

I resumed  my  weary  way,  our  pace  being  now  about  one  mile  an 
hour,  and  at  nearly  eleven  o’clock  came  to  the  summit  of  a high 
mountain,  where  there  seemed  to  be  two  paths,  which  increased 
my  perplexity  ; but  on  looking  oft'  to  the  right  I could  make  out 
that  tha  hills  rounded  into  a crescent,  on  the  far  point  of  which  I 
discovered  a light,  which  I knew  must  be  from  the  window  of  the 
dak  Bungalow ! After  all  my  anxiety  I had  been  guided  in  safety 
by  a way  I knew  not.  On  reaching  the  Bungalow,  I found  that 
neither  bed  nor  food  was  to  be  had.  However,  I was  too  tired  to 
care  much  for  food,  so  the  privation  was  little  felt.  I could  have 
relished  a comfortable  bed  had  it  been  available,  but  the  floor 
and  shelter  of  a roof  were  mercies.  The  ladies  had  safely  and 
duly  arrived,  and  were  stretched,  some  on  the  ground  and  others 
on  charpoys,  and  thus  the  night  wore  over. 

Next  morning  there  was  no  sign  of  the  coolies,  so  we  resumed 
our  march,  my  poor  horse  being  obliged  to  remain  where  he  was, 
and  by  evening  we  were  overtaken  at  the  next  Bungalow  by  our 
bedding  and  food,  both  of  which  were  very  welcome  indeed.  We 
arrived  atAlmorah  next  day,  tired  enough,  and  were  accommodated 
with  a couple  of  rooms  in  a little  house  near  the  fort.  Some  of 
our  friends  would  smile  could  they  see  the  humble  accommodations, 
for  which  we  felt  no  small  amount  of  gratitude.  The  floor  was  of 
clay ; we  had  two  camp  tables,  three  chairs,  and  two  charpoys — 
that  was  the  extent  of  our  furniture  ! But  “ necessity  is  the  mother 
of  invention,”  and  we  soon  found  out  that  a trunk  lid  could  be 


288 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


made  into  a table,  and  that  a child  can  sleep  as  well  in  a basket  or 
in  an  old  box  as  on  a mahogany  bedstead.  So  our  “ picnic  ” fashion 
of  life  in  Almorah  gave  us  little  concern,  any  inconveniences  being 
amply  balanced  by  the  reflection  that  thirty  miles  more  of  mount- 
ains lay  between  our  precious  charge  and  danger. 

Our  worthy  Commissioner,  after  a time,  unable  to  endure  longer 
this  “hunger  for  news”  that  was  consuming  us,  organized  a post 
department  of  his  own,  and  by  relays  of  Paharees,  stretching  along 
the  crest  of  the  Himalayas,  for  what  is  usually  seventeen  days’  jour- 
ney to  Mussoorie,  above  Dehra  Doon,  managed  to  reach  on  to 
beyond  the  immediate  circle  of  Sepoy  power  and  establish  commu- 
nication with  the  Europeans  there,  who  were  able  to  correspond 
with  the  Punjab,  and  obtain  such  news  as  was  available  from  that 
quarter. 

Information  of  our  whereabouts  and  safety  now  got  abroad,  and 
worked  its  way  around  by  the  sea-coast  to  Calcutta.  The  13th  of 
August  was  a joyful  day.  To  our  delight  and  astonishment,  the 
Paharee  postman  that  morning  brought  us  three  numbers  of  the 
Christian  Advocate,  and  three  of  Zion  s Herald,  for  the  month  of 
April ! The  postmaster  at  Bombay  had  found  us  out,  and  com- 
menced sending  us  a mail  whenever  he  had  the  chance,  via  Kur- 
rachee,  Lahore,  and  Mussoorie.  So  we  now  began  to  receive 
papers  and  letters  with  more  or  less  regularity.  Only  those  who 
have  been,  as  we  were,  shut  up  for  three  months  and  a half  without 
a letter  or  a paper  or  a word  from  home,  can  imagine  the  joy  with 
which  we  grasped  the  precious  documents,  and  sat  down  to  devour 
their  contents.  It  was  almost  like  life  from  the  dead  ! 

But,  while  grateful  for  news  at  last,  what  horrible  accounts  of 
massacre  and  pillage  poured  in  upon  us — frightful  details  of  what 
had  occurred ! How  truly  we  realized,  as  we  heard  or  read  them, 
the  reality  of  the  lines — 

“ My  ear  is  pained, 

My  soul  is  sick,  with  every  day’s  report 
Of  wrong  and  outrage." 

At  our  family  altar,  and  in  our  closet,  our  cry  was,  “ O Lord,  how 
long!”  Nor  was  the  suffering  and  wretchedness  limited  to  the 


TIIE  FEARFUL  ST  A TE  OF  THINGS  BEFORE  DELHI.  289 

Europeans.  The  feuds  between  the  Hindoos  and  Mohammedans 
were  revived,  and  conflicts  between  them  increased  in  bitterness 
and  cruelty,  until  the  country  became  one  scene  of  anarchy. 
Trade,  agriculture,  and  industry  in  general  were  all  but  suspended  ; 
any  one  that  had  a rupee  to  lose  lost  it ; riot  and  bloodshed  became 
the  order  of  the  day,  while  rapine  and  murder  were  openly  carried 
on  by  the  Goojurs,  a Gipsy-like  class  of  vagabonds,  whom  the  mis- 
erable Mohammedan  Government  was  unable  to  put  down. 

Short  as  our  time  was  in  Bareilly,  I have  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  our  labors  were  not  altogether  fruitless.  Several  of 
the  Europeans  who  attended  our  little  English  service  had  spoken 
in  grateful  terms  of  the  benefits  received  under  the  preaching. 
Among  these  was  the  excellent  Dr.  Bowhill,  Surgeon  of  the  Sixty- 
eighth  Native  Infantry.  This  gentleman  had  a very  narrow’ escape 
for  his  life  on  the  day  of  the  massacre.  1 1 is  horse  carried  him  only 
about  twenty  miles,  and  then  fell  dead  lame.  The  remainder  of  the 
seventy-four  miles  he  had  to  walk  (with  a very  occasional  lift  on  the 
horses  of  others  of  the  party)  under  a broiling  sun.  I went  to  meet 
and  congratulate  him  on  his  escape.  We  kneeled  down  together, 
and  never  shall  I forget  his  emotions  while  I offered  up  to  the  serv- 
ice of  the  Holy  Trinity  the  life  that  had  been  so  mercifully  pre- 
served ! It  was  a privilege  to  have  made  the  friendship  of  such  a 
man ; and  not  only  so,  but  also  to  have  had  that  friendship 
cemented  by  the  holiest  ties.  His  sense  of  duty  led  him,  as  soon 
as  the  Commissioner  arranged  the  letter  post  along  the  Himalayas, 
to  venture  to  cross  to  Mussoorie  and  thence  to  Kurnal,  and  then 
join  any  passing  column,  so  as  to  reach  the  little  English  army 
before  Delhi,  where  his  professional  services  were  so  much  required. 
The  brave  man  made  his  perilous  way  in  safety,  and  we  heard  occa- 
sionally from  him.  In  reply  to  a letter  which  I had  written, 
expressing  my  gratitude  for  great  professional  kindness,  especially 
at  Nynee  Tal,  and  adding  a word  or  tw’o  to  “strengthen  his  hands 
in  God,”  he  >ays : “ I do  not  feel  that  I am  in  any  way  entitled  to 
the  thanks  you  give  for  my  attendance  on  your  family.  Inasmuch 
as  the  soui  is  more  worthy  than  the  body,  so  much  the  more  are 


290 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


my  thanks  due  to  you  ; for,  under  Providence,  I have  to  thank  you 
for  teaching  me  to  love  God.  I feared  him  before  I knew  you,  and 
that  fear  restrained  me.  Now  I feel  that,  through  your  means,  I 
love  my  Saviour  and  Redeemer,  and  try  to  obey  because  I love 
him.”  What  must  have  been  then  the  condition  of  things  before 
Delhi  may  be  understood  by  the  Doctor’s  statement,  when  he  adds 
in  this  communication,  that  “ Such  is  the  amount  of  sickness  which 
prevails,  that  twenty-five  hundred  of  our  men  are  in  hospital,  two 
hundred  and  forty-one  of  whom  entered  in  one  day.  In  my  own 
regiment  of  five  hundred  men  two  hundred  and. forty-seven  are 
lying  sick ! I fear  that  if  the  assault  does  not  take  place  soon  we 
shall  not  have  men  enough  in  health  to  attempt  it.  May  God  save 
us  from  a reverse  before  Delhi ! The  effect  of  a repulse  here 
might  be  ruinous  throughout  the  whole  country.”  How  earnestly 
we  prayed  for  the  brave  men  in  that  little  army  who  were  thus 
suffering  and  fighting  for  us  there  ! 

Just  then  we  had  a little  battle  of  our  own  to  go  through.  On 
the  Thursday  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter  from  Delhi,  Khan 
Bahadur  ordered  his  forces  to  assault  our  position.  They  moved 
up  nearer  to  our  defenses  and  encamped  for  the  night,  perhaps  not 
realizing,  being  all  “plains  men,”  how  chilly  they  would  feel  the 
next  morning  in  the  cold  hill  air.  Our  Commandant  saw  his 
advantage,  and  very  early  next  morning  dropped  down  into  the  lit- 
tle valley  where  they  were  encamped,  with  thirty  gentlemen  and 
the  twenty-five  faithful  Sowars,  making  a little  body  of  cavalry; 
these,  with  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  our  Ghoorka  (hill)  troops, 
came  quietly  upon  them  before  they  had  unrolled  themselves  out 
of  their  blankets,  and  a fearful  carnage  ensued.  In  an  hour  all  was 
over.  The  Sepoys  fled  in  every  direction,  leaving  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  of  their  number  dead,  besides  what  wounded  they  man- 
aged to  carry  off. 

After  counting  the  enemy’s  dead,  our  men  turned  to  ascertain 
their  own  loss,  and,  to  their  surprise  and  gratitude,  found  that  they 
had  only  one  man — a Sowar  (native  horseman) — killed,  and  two 
Ghoorkas  wounded.  One  officer,  Captain  Gibbency,  was  slightly 


OUR  LITTLE  FIGHT. 


291 

touched  by  a pistol  ball,  and  this  was  all  The  effect  of  this  con- 
test was  of  great  importance.  It  struck  some  terror  into  the  Sepoy 
mind,  and  they  refused  ever  after  to  come  up  into  our  glens  again  ; 
it  raised  our  spirits,  and  had  an  immense  effect  upon  the  hill  peo- 
ple, who  of  course  flattered  themselves  that  the  victory  was  due  to 
their  own  prowess.  It  also  deepened  their  hatred  of  the  Moham- 
medan party;  while  below,  the  Hindoo  villagers  took  courage  to  • 
help  the  Commandant,  and  actually  captured  nine  rebels,  stragglers 
who  had  turned  to  the  work  of  plundering  the  villagers  and  abusing 
their  women.  They  were  brought  up  to  Nynee  Tal,  tried,  and  exe- 
cuted at  once.  I was  informed  that  they  met  their  doom  with  the 
indifference  that  characterizes  Mohammedan  fatalists. 

After  this  event  some  of  the  villagers  and  Hindoo  Zemindars 
(landholders)  of  the  plains  around  our  hills  sent  up  deputations 
to  our  Commandant,  requesting  him  to  assist  them  against  the 
Mohammedans,  and  offering  to  pay  their  jumma  (revenue)  to  him 
if  he  would  only  sustain  them  (as  they  thought  him  now  able  to  do) 
against  the  rebel  Government.  But  Major  Ramsay  was  too  pru- 
dent to  go  beyond  his  safe  line,  especially  as  he  well  knew  he  was 
still  closely  watched  by  a powerful  and  wily  foe,  and  must  risk 
nothing  while  he  had  ladies  to  protect.  That  foe,  however,  was 
beginning  to  feel  certain  qualms  of  anxiety,  for  already  Havelock’s 
name  and  the  story  of  his  victories  were  flying  over  the  land,  and 
they  felt  that  he,  or  some  other  English  General,  might  ere  long 
give  them  a better  opportunity  to  prove  their  courage  than  what 
they  had  when  they  so  leisurely  and  safely  cut  down  and  butchered 
unarmed  men  and  defenseless  women  and  children. 

It  was  “ a day  of  rebuke  and  blasphemy,”  but  I still  believed  that 
our  redemption  was  drawing  nigh,  and  that  all  would  be  overruled 
for  good.  How  grateful  I feel  that  my  letter  to  the  Corresponding 
Secretary,  written  at  this  time,  closes  with  the  following  words, 
now  measurably  in  process  of  fulfillment : 

“ One  sentence  in  closing.  Believe  me,  this  is  one  of  the  last 
terrible  efforts  of  hell  to  retain  its  relaxing  grasp  on  beautiful 
India,  and  the  issue  will  be  salvation  for  her  millions ! . . . 


292 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


% 


Don't  be  discouraged  for  ns.  If  the  sufferings  abound,  so  do  the 
consolations.  But  if  I am  cut  off,  (which  is  not  improbable,) 
remember  my  mission  an  l sustain  it.  Farewell,  Doctor.  Again 
let  me  beseech  you,  whether  I live  or  die,  remember  my  mission 
and  sustain  it.  For  India  is  to  be  Redeemed  ! ” 


/ 


AMERICAN  MISSIONARIES  WIIO  FELL  AT  CAWNPORE.  293 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CAWNPORE  MASSACRE  AND  THE  RELIEF  OF  LUCKNOW. 

T’HILE  we  were  thus  maintaining,  as  best  we  could,  our 


position  against  fearful  odds,  and  hoping  for  that  relief 
which  had  yet,  for  the  reasons  following,  to  be  so  much  longer 
delayed,  our  fellow  Christians  down  in  the  plains  below  us  were 
passing  through  sorrows  and  agonies  in  the  presence  of  which  our 
trials  were  not  worthy  to  be  mentioned,  and  the  accounts  of  which 
were  about  to  fill  the  civilized  world  with  horror. 

With  a sad  heart  we  tell  the  story  of  Cawnpore — the  “city  of 
melancholy  fame”— and  present  to  our  readers  that  wonderful 
record  of  fruitless  valor  and  unutterable  woe  which  was  there  exhib- 
ited. Fourteen  years  have  passed  over  since  these  deeds  were  done, 
but  the  fearful  record  of  them  will  be  read  with  deepest  interest  by 
Christian  men  and  women  long  after  the  present  generation  has 
passed  away.  This  story  can  never  die.  Wherever  and  whenever 
read,  it  should  be  remembered  that  England  alone  did  not  suffer 
there.  The  dire  agony  of  Cawnpore  was  shared  by  American  gen- 
tlemen and  ladies  ; indeed,  they  took  precedence  in  these  sorrows, 
for  the  group  first  “led  as  sheep  to  the  slaughter,”  before  the  mur- 
der of  those  from  the  intrenchment  was  perpetrated,  included  the 
Rev.  Messrs.  Freeman,  Johnson,  M’Mullin,  and  Campbell,  with 
their  dear  wives  and  children,  from  Futtyghur — the  very  next  sta- 
tion to  the  one  then  occupied  by  the  writer,  who,  with  his  family, 
had  to  conclude  whether  to  accept  the  invitation  to  join  this  party, 
and  attempt  escape  by  the  Ganges,  or  else  “flee  to  the  mountain^” 
on  the  north.  He  decided  for  the  latter,  and  thus  narrowly  escaped 
the  fate  which  befell  these  brethren  and  sisters,  whom  he  had 
already  learned  to  esteem  so  highly  for  their  own  and  for  their 
work’s  sake. 


294 


TEE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Of  few  of  “the  martyrs  of  Jesus”  in  any  age  may  it  more  truly 
be  said  than  of  them,  “ These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great 
tribulation .”  The  sharp  agony  of  that  hour  is  ended,  and  they 
have  met  again  where  He  who  loved  them  has  long  since  wiped 
away  all  tears  from  their  eyes.  The  American  Presbyterian  Church, 
to  which  they  belonged,  should  nobly  press  on  the  work  for  which 
they  died,  and  be  earnest  to  reap  the  harvest  made  so  fertile  with 
their  blood. 

“The  massacre  of  Cawnpore”  has  been  truly  called  “the  black- 
est crime  in  human  history.”  Every  element  of  perfidy  and  cruelty 
was  concentrated  in  it.  No  act  ever  carried  to  so  many  hearts 
such  a thrill  of  horror  as  did  the  deed  that  was  done  there  on  the 
15th  of  July,  1857.  Yet  no  complete  account  of  it  has  been  laid 
before  the  American  public.  To  supply  this  deficiency,  so  far  as 
our  space  allows,  is  the  aim  of  these  pages.  Our  authorities  are 
the  best : Trevelyan,  (of  whose  excellent  work  we  make  free  use,) 
with  Thomson,  Bourchier,  The  Friend  of  India,  and  the  Calcutta 
Quarterly  Review,  together  with  the  personal  communications  of 
Havelock’s  soldiers  ; while  photographs,  taken  on  the  spot,  enable 
us  accurately  to  present  “the  Well”  into  which  the  ladies  were 
thrown,  and  the  beautiful  monument  which  a weeping  country  has 
placed  over  their  remains. 

The  city  of  Cawnpore  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges, 
six  hundred  and  twenty-eight  miles  from  Calcutta,  and  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  miles  from  Delhi.  At  the  time  of  the  great 
Rebellion,  the  English  general  commanding  the  station  was  Sir 
Hugh  Wheeler.  He  had  under  his  command  four  Sepoy  regi- 
ments, and  about  three  hundred  English  soldiers.  In  addition  to 
these,  there  were  the  wives  and  children  of  the  English  officers  and 
of  his  own  force,  and  of  the  force  at  Lucknow.  Oude  having  been 
but  recently  annexed,  the  families  of  the  officers  in  Lucknow  could 
not  yet  obtain  houses  there,  and  so  were  left  for  the  present  under 
the  care  of  Sir  Hugh  Wheeler  at  Cawnpore.  When  the  alarm  began 
to  extend,  the  ladies  and  children  of  the  stations  around  also  went 
to  him  for  protection,  so  that,  before  the  rebellion  broke  out,  the 


THE  CONDITION  OF  MATTERS  AT  CAWNPORE.  295 

General  found  himself  responsible  for  the  care  of  over  five  hundred 
and  sixty  women  and  children,  with  only  three  hundred  English 
soldiers  and  about  one  hundred  and  forty  other  Europeans,  for 
their  protection. 

Sir  Hugh  had  been  over  fifty  years  in  India.  His  age  and  his 
confidence  in  the  loyalty  of  the  Sepoys  under  his  command  ill-fitted 
him  for  the  position  he  then  held.  He  would  not  credit  the  immi- 
nence of  the  danger,  nor  make  that  provision  against  it  which  some 
of  those  under  his  orders  believed  to  be  urgently  necessary.  He 
still  trusted  the  loyalty  of  the  Nana  Sahib,  and  placed  the  Govern- 
ment treasure — an  immense  sum  of  money — under  his  care  ; and 
there  was  even  a proposal  to  send  the  ladies  and  children  off  to  the 
Bithoor  palace  for  safe-keeping.  There  was  a strong  magazine  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges,  well  provided  with  munitions  of  war  and 
with  suitable  shelter,  to  which  Sir  Hugh  might  have  taken  his 
charge,  and  where,  it  is  believed,  he  could  have  held  out  till  relief 
reached  him  ; but  unfortunately  he  thought  otherwise,  believing 
himself  not  strong  enough  to  hold  it.  So  he  crossed  the  canal  and 
took  a position  on  the  open  plain,  in  two  large,  one-story  barracks, 
and  threw  up  a low  earth-work  around  it,  and  thought  himself 
secure  till  assistance  could  reach  him  from  Calcutta.  He  did  not 
take  the  precaution  to  provision  even  this  place  properly  or  in  time, 
and  also  left  the  strong  intrenchment  on  the  Ganges  stored  with 
artillery  of  all  sizes,  and  with  shot  and  shell  to  match,  with  thirty 
boats  full  of  ammunition  moored  at  the  landing-place — left  all  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies  ; and  it  was  actually  used,  pro- 
fusely used,  against  himself  in  the  terrible  days  that  followed.  The 
few  cannon  which  he  took  with  him  were  no  match  for  those  he 
left  behind,  and  which  he  had  afterward  to  fight  so  fiercely  and  at 
such  disadvantage. 

On  the  14th  of  May  intelligence  reached  them  of  the  fearful 
massacres  of  Meerut  and  Delhi.  On  the  5 th  of  June  the  Cawnpore 
Sepoys  broke  into  open  mutiny,  having  been  joined  by  other  regi- 
ments from  Oude.  The  Nana  Sahib  had  been  in  intimate  com- 
munication with  the  ringleaders  ; yet  for  some  reason  or  other, 


THE  LAND  OF  TUE  VEDA. 


296 

probably  a disinclination  to  murder  their  officers  or  to  face  the  few 
English  soldiers  there,  the  Sepoys  seemed  more  inclined  to  leave 
the  station  and  march  for  Delhi  than  to  remain  and  attack  the 
English.  They  actually  started,  performed  the  first  stage,  and 
encamped  at  a place  called  Kullianpore.  The  wily  Azeemoolah 
and  his  master  now  saw  that  their  hour  had  come.  Arriving  in  the 
camp,  they  persuaded  the  Sepoy  host  to  return  to  Cawnpore  and 
put  all  the  English  to  the  sword  before  they  left  the  place.  Their 
unwillingness  was  overcome  by  the  promise  of  unlimited  pillage, 
and  the  offer  by  the  Maharajah  of  a gold  anklet  to  each  Sepoy. 
They  retraced  their  steps.  That  night  the  English  officers  were, 
some  of  them,  sleeping  in  their  own  houses,  imagining  that  they 
had  seen  the  last  of  that  Sepoy  army.  But  early  the  next  morning 
the  Nana  announced  his  intention  to  commence  the  attack  at  once, 
and  there  was  barely  time  to  summon  the  officers  and  families 
outside  ere  it  began.  Every  thing  of  value,  clothing  and  stores  of 
all  kinds,  had  to  be  suddenly  abandoned.  He  who  in  that  close 
and  sultry  night  of  midsummer  had  sought  a little  air  and  sleep  on 
his  house-top  might  not  stay  “ to  take  any  thing  out  of  his  house 
he  who  had  been  on  early  service  in  the  field  might  not  “ turn  back 
to  take  his  clothes.”  Few  and  happy  were  they  who  had  time  to 
snatch  a single  change  of  raiment.  Some  lost  their  lives  by  wait- 
ing to  dress.  So  that,  half-clad,  confused,  and  breathless,  the 
devoted  band  rushed  into  the  breastwork,  which  they  entered  only 
to  suffer,  and  left  only  to  die. 

Within  this  miserable  inclosure,  containing  two  barracks  de- 
signed for  only  one  hundred  men  each,  and  surrounded  by  a mud 
wall  only  four  feet  high,  three  feet  in  thickness  at  the  base,  and  but 
twelve  inches  at  the  top — where  the  batteries  were  constructed  by 
the  simple  expedient  of  leaving  an  aperture  for  each  gun,  so  that 
the  artillery-men  served  their  pieces  as  in  the  field,  with  their  per- 
sons entirely  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy — within  this  inclo- 
sure were  huddled  together  a thousand  people,  only  four  hundred 
and  forty  of  whom  were  men,  the  rest  being  women  and  children. 
Here,  without  any  thing  that  could  be  called  shelter,  without  proper 


the  opening  of  tue  AGONY.  297 

provisions  for  a single  week,  exposed  to  the  raging  sun  by  day  and 
to  the  iron  hail  of  death  by  day  and  night,  these  Christian  people 
had  to  endure  for  twenty-two  days  the  pitiless  bombardment,  the 
rifle-shots,  and  storming-parties,  launched  at  them  from  a well- 
appointed  army  of  nearly  ten  thousand  men. 

How  well  those  four  hundred  and  forty  men  must  have  fought, 
when,  with  closed  teeth  and  bated  breath,  the  Brahmin  and  the 
Saxon  thus  closed  for  their  death  grapple,  where  no  quarter  was 
asked  or  received,  may  be  imagined.  But  who  can  imagine  the 
terror  and  the  sufferings  of  that  crowd  of  five  hundred  and  sixty 
ladies  and  children,  not  one  of  whom  could  be  saved,  even  by  all 
the  valor  of  those  brave  men  who  fought  so  hard  and  died  so  rap- 
idly to  protect  them  ! Of  the  whole  number,  only  three  men  es- 
caped— Captain  Delafosse,  Major  Thompson,  and  Private  Murphy. 

America  and  Europe  have  ever  forbidden  their  warriors  “to  point 
the  sword  at  a female  breast.  But  Asiatics  have  no  such  scruples. 
The  Hindoos,  who  allow  their  women  few  or  no  personal  rights, 
and  the  Mohammedans,  who  doubt  if  they  have  souls,  have  no  ten- 
derness for  the  position  or  treatment  of  the  weaker  sex.  The 
sharp-shooters  and  gunners  of  the  Nana  Sahib  were  true  to  their 
heathenism.  They  gave  no  rest,  and  showed  no  mercy.  Some 
ladies  were  slain  outright  by  grape  or  round  shot,  others  by  the 
bullet : many  were  crushed  by  the  splinters  or  the  falling  walls. 
At  first  every  projectile  that  struck  the  barracks,  where  they  were 
crowded  together,  was  the  signal  for  heart-rending  shrieks,  and  low 
wailing,  more  heart-rending  still  ; but  ere  longtime  and  habit  had 
taught  them  to  suffer  and  to  fear  in  silence.  The  unequal  contest 
could  not  last  long.  By  the  end  of  the  first  week  every  one  of  the 
professional  artillery-men  had  been  killed  or  wounded,  besides  those 
who  had  fallen  all  around  the  position.  Sun-stroke  had  dazed  and 
killed  several.  Their  only  howitzer  was  knocked  clear  off  its  car- 
riage, and  the  other  cannon  disabled,  save  two  pieces  which  were 
withdrawn  under  cover,  loaded  with  grape,  and  reserved  for  the 
purpose  of  repelling  an  assault.  Even  the  bore  of  these  had  been 
injured  so  that  a canister  could  not  be  driven  home,  and  the  poor 


398 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


ladies  gave  up  their  stockings  to  supply  the  case  for  a novel,  but 
not  unserviceable,  cartridge.  As  their  fire  became  more  faint,  that 
of  the  enemy  augmented  in  volume,  rapidity,  and  precision — casual- 
ties mounted  up  fearfully,  and  at  length  their  misfortunes  culminated 
in  a wholesale  disaster.  One  of  the  two  barracks  had  a thatched 
roof.  In  this,  as  more  roomy,  were  collected  the  sick,  and  wounded, 
and  women.  On  the  evening  of  the  eighth  day  of  the  bombard- 
ment the  enemy  succeeded  in  lodging  a lighted  “carcase”  on  the 
roof,  and  the  whole  building  was  speedily  in  a blaze.  No  effort 
was  spared  or  risk  shunned  to  rescue  the  helpless  inmates  ; but,  in 
spite  of  all,  two  brave  men  were  burned  to  death.  During  that 
night  of  horror  the  artillery  and  marksmen  of  the  enemy,  aided  by 
the  light  of  the  burning  building,  poured  their  cruel  fire  on  the 
busy  men  who  were  trying  to  save  the  provisions  and  ammunition, 
and  living  burdens  more  precious  still,  out  of  the  fire,  while  the 
guards,  crouching  silent  and  watchful,  finger  on  trigger,  each  at  his 
station  behind  the  outer  wall,  could  see  the  countless  foes,  revealed 
now  and  again  by  the  glare,  prowling  and  yelling  around  the  outer 
gloom  like  so  many  demons  eager  for  their  prey. 

The  misery  fell  chiefly  on  the  ladies : they  were  now  obliged  to 
pass  their  days  and  nights  in  a temperature  varying  from  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  to  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  degrees,  cowering 
beneath  such  shelter  as  the  low  earth-work  could  give — and  all  this 
to  women  who  had  been  brought  up  in  the  lap  of  luxury,  and  who 
had  never  till  now  known  a moment  of  physical  privation.  There 
were  but  two  wells  within  reach  ; one  of  these  had  been  used  to 
receive  their  dead — for  they  could  not  bury  them — the  other  was 
so  trained  upon  day  and  night  by  the  shell  of  the  enemy  that  at 
last  it  became  the  certain  risk  of  death  to  remain  long  enough  to 
draw  up,  from  a depth  of  over  sixty  feet,  a bucket  of  water  for  the 
parched  women  and  children.  Yet  necessity  compelled  that  risk, 
while  it  made  the  sip  of  water  rare  and  priceless,  but  left  none  to 
wash  their  persons  or  their  wounds.  A short  gill  of  flour  and  a 
handful  of  split  peas  was  now  their  daily  sustenance.  The  medical 
stores  had  been  all  destroyed  in  the  conflagration — there  remained 


A SORROW  WITHOUT  A PARALLEL. 


299 


no  drugs,  or  cordials,  or  opiates  to  cure  or  alleviate.  The  bandages 
for  the  newly  wounded  were  supplied  off  the  persons  of  the  ladies, 
who  nobly  parted  with  their  clothing  for  this  purpose,  till  many  of 
them  had  barelv  enough  left  to  screen  their  persons.  And  to  this 
condition  were  these  once  beautiful  women  reduced — herded  to- 
gether in  fetid  misery,  where  delicacy  and  modesty  were  hourly 
shocked,  though  never  for  a moment  impaired.  Bare-footed  and 
ragged,  haggard  and  emaciated,  parched  with  drought  and  faint 
with  hunger,  they  sat  watching  to  hear  that  they  were  widows. 
Each  morning  deepened  the  hollow  in  the  youngest  cheek,  and 
added  a new  furrow  to  the  fairest  brow.  Want,  exposure,  and 
depression  speedily  decimated  that  hapless  company,  while  a hide- 
ous train  of  diseases — fever,  apoplexy,  insanity,  cholera,  and  dysen- 
tery— began  to  add  their  horrors  to  the  dreadful  and  unparalleled 
scene.  Alas  ! even  this  does  not  by  any  means  exhaust  the  list  of 
terrors,  but  we  can  go  no  further.  American  ladies  will  add  then- 
generous  tears  to  those  which  have  been  flowing  for  their  sorrows 
in  many  an  English  home  during  the  past  few  years. 

They  tried  hard  to  communicate  with  the  outside  world — with 
Lucknow  or  Allahabad — for  they  had  a few  faithful  natives  who 
ventured  forth  for  them  ; but  so  close  were  the  cavalry  pickets 
around  their  position  that  only  one  person  ever  returned  to  them. 
These  spies  were  barbarously  used.  The  writer  saw  some  of  them 
after  the  Rebellion  in  their  mutilated  state — their  hands  cut  off,  or 
their  noses  split  open  ; and  one  poor  fellow  had  lost  hands,  nose,, 
and  ears.  The  native  mode  of  mutilation  was  horribly  painful,  the 
limb  being  sometimes  chopped  off  with  a tulwar — a coarse  sword 
— and  the  stump  dipped  in  boiling  oil  to  arrest  the  bleeding. 

Events  had  now  reached  their  dire  extremity.  The  sweetness 
of  existence  had  vanished,  and  the  last  flicker  of  hope  had  died 
away.  Yet,  moved  by  a generous  despair  and  an  invincible  self- 
respect,  they  still  fought  on  for  dear  life,  and  for  lives  dearer  than 
their  own.  By  daring,  and  vigilance,  and  unparalleled  endurance, 
these  brave  and  suffering  men  staved  off  ruin  for  another  day,  and 

yet  another.  Long  had  their  eyes  and  ears  strained  in  the  direction 

17 


300 


TIIE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


of  Allahabad,  hoping  for  the  succor  that  was  never  to  reach  them. 
The  23d  of  June  dawned — the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Plassey. 
The  Nana  Sahib  had  vowed  to  celebrate  that  centenary  of  the 
rise  of  the  English  power  in  its  utter  overthrow ; the  Sepoys  had 
sworn  by  the  most  solemn  oath  of  their  religion  to  conquer  or  per- 
ish on  that  day.  Early  in  the  morning  the  whole  force  was  moved 
to  the  assault ; the  guns  were  brought  up  within  a few  hundred 
yards  of  the  wall  ; the  infantry  in  dense  array  advanced,  their  skir- 
mishers roiling  before  them  great  bales  of  cotton,  proof  against  the 
bullets  of  the  besieged,  while  the  cavalry  charged  at  a gallop  in 
another  quarter.  It  was  all  in  vain.  The  contest  was  short  but 
sharp.  The  teams  which  drew  the  artillery  were  shot  down,  the 
bales  were  fired,  the  sharp-shooters  driven  back  on  their  columns, 
and  the  saddles  of  the  cavalry  were  emptied  as  they  came  on. 
The  Sepoy  host  reeled  before  the  dreadful  resistance  and  fell  back 
discouraged — nor  could  they  be  induced  to  renew  the  effort.  That 
evening  a party  of  them  drew  near  the  position,  made  obeisance 
after  their  fashion,  and  asked  leave  to  remove  their  dead.  This 
acknowledgment  of  an  empty  triumph  was  a poor  consolation  to 
these  gaunt  and  starving  Englishmen,  under  the  shadow  of  the 
impending  doom  of  themselves  and  those  whom  they  so  well 
defended. 

The  result  of  this  day’s  conflict  produced  a sudden  change  in 
the  plans  of  the  Nana  Sahib.  He  began  to  despair  of  taking  the 
position  by  storm,  and  events  were  forbidding  him  to  wait  for  the 
slower  process  of  starvation.  The  Sepoys  were  already  grum- 
bling, and  another  repulse  would  set  them  conspiring.  The 
usurper  saw  he  must  bring  matters  to  a speedy  conclusion  ; for, 
in  addition  to  Sepoy  discontent,  rumors  had  already  reached  him 
of  an  avenging  force  having  left  Benares  to  save  those  whom  he 
had  resolved  to  destroy.  He  had  not  a day  to  lose.  It  behooved 
the  monster  to  bring  the  matter  to  a speedy  conclusion  by  any 
means,  even  the  very  foulest,  as  all  others  had  failed.  He  there- 
fore resolved  to  insnare  where  he  could  not  vanquish — to  lure  those 
Christians  from  the  shelter  of  that  wall  within  which  no  intruder 


NANA  SAHIB'S  INFERNAL  TREACHERY. 


301 


had  sethis  foot  and  lived.  lie  suspended  the  bombardment  and 
opened  negotiations:  The  world  had  never  yet  heard  of  treachery 

so  hellish  as  what  he  meditated  then.  Though  some  of  the  ladies 
had  their  fears,  yet  none  imagined  the  purpose  which  was  in  the 
depths  of  the  dark  hearts  of  this  man  and  his  minion  Azeemoolah. 
Admiration  of  the  defense  was  expressed,  and  sympathy  for  the 
condition  of  the  ladies  still  living,  with  the  offer  of  boats  provis- 
ioned, and  a safe  conduct  under  the  Nana’s  hand  to  take  them  to 
Allahabad.  The  terms  of  the  conference  were  committed  to  paper, 
and  borne,  by  Azeemoolah,  to  the  Nana  for  his  signature  ; all  was 
made  seemingly  right  and  safe  for  the  capitulation.  The  boats 
were  actually  moored  at  the  landing-place  and  provisions  put  on 
board,  and  the  whole  shown  to  the  committee  of  English  officers. 
That  night  they  could  obtain  water,  and  deep  were  the  draughts 
of  the  blessed  beverage  which  they  imbibed  ; they  could  also  sleep, 
for  the  bombardment  had  ceased,  though  a cloud  of  cavalry  held 
watch  around  their  position.  They  slept  sounder  the  next  night, 
as  the  Nana  intended  that  they  should. 

Some  criticisms  have  been  made  upon  their  agreement  to  sur- 
render at  all.  It  may  be  answered,  that  had  that  garrison  con- 
sisted only  of  fighting  men,  no  one  would  have  dreamed  of  sur- 
render. But  what  could  be  done  when  more  than  half  their 
number,  male  and  female,  had  already  been  killed,  and  the  balance 
was  a mixed  multitude,  in  which  there  was  a woman  and  child  to 
each  man,  while  every  other  man  was  incapacitated  by  wounds  or 
disease,' with  only  four  days  more  of  half  rations  of  their  miserable 
subsistence,  and  the  monsoon  — the  tropical  rains  — hourly  ex- 
pected to  open  upon  them  in  all  its  violence  ? The  only  choice 
was  between  death  and  capitulation  ; and  if  the  latter  was  resolved 
on  it  was  well  that  the  offer  came  from  the  enemy. 

Eleven  o’clock  next  morning,  June  27th,  came.  Every  thing 
was  ready  ; all  Cawnpore  was  astir,  crowding  by  thousands  to  the 
landing-place.  The  doomed  garrison  had  taken  their  last  look  at 
their  premises  and  at  the  well,  into  which  so  many  of  their  number 
had  been  lowered  during  the  past  three  weeks.  The  writer  has 


302 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  TED  A. 


walked  over  the  same  ground,  between  their  intrenchment  and  the 
landing-place,  wondering  with  what  feelings  that  ragged  and  spirit- 
less cavalcade  must  have  passed  over  that  space  that  day.  But 
they  had  at  least  this  consolation — they  thought  that  their  miseries 
were  ending,  and  that  they  were  going  toward  home,  with  all  its 
blessed  associations.  They  moved  on,  reached  the  wooden  bridge, 
and  turned  into  the  fatal  ravine  which  led  to  the  water’s  edge. 
Two  dozen  large  boats,  each  covered  with  a frame  and  heavy 
thatch,  to  screen  the  sun,  were  ready  ; but  it  was  observed  that, 
instead  of  floating,  they  had  been  drawn  into  the  shallows,  and 
were  resting  on  the  sand.  The  vast  multitude,  speechless  and 
motionless  as  specters,  watched  their  descent  into  that  “ valley  of 
the  shadow  of  death.”  The  men  in  front  began  to  lift  the  wounded 
and  the  ladies  into  the  boats,  and  prepared  for  shoving  them  off, 
when,  amid  that  sinister  silence,  the  blast  of  a bugle  at  the  other 
end  of  the  ravine,  as  the  last  straggler  entered  within  the  fatal 
trap,  gave  the  Nana  Sahib’s  signal,  and  the  masked  battery,  which 
Azeemoolah  had  spent  his  night  preparing,  opened  with  grape 
upon  the  confused  mass.  The  boatmen  who  were  to  row  them 
thrust  the  ready  burning  charcoal  into  the  thatch,  plunged  over- 
board, and  made  for  the  shore,  and,  almost  in  a moment,  the  entire 
fleet  was  in  a blaze  of  fire.  Five  hundred  marksmen  sprang  up 
among  the  trees  and  temples,  and  began  to  pour  their  deadly  bul- 
lets in  upon  them,  while  the  cavalry  along  the  river  brink  were 
ready  for  any  who  attempted  to  swim  the  Ganges.  Only  four  men 
made  good  their  escape  — two  officers  and  two  privates,  one  of 
whom  soon  afterward  sank  under  his  sufferings  — and  they  owed 
their,  lives  to  their  ability  in  swimming  and  diving,  and  were  in- 
debted for  their  ultimate  safety  to  the  humanity  of  a noble  Hindoo, 
Dirigbijah  Singh,  of  Oude.  The  Nana  Sahib  was  pacing  before 
his  tent,  waiting  for  the  news.  A trooper  was  dispatched  to  in- 
form him  that  all  was  going  on  well,  and  that  the  Peishwa  would 
soon  have  ample  vengeance  for  his  ancient  wrong.  He  bade  the 
courier  return  to  the  scene  of  action,  bearing  the  verbal  order  to 
“ keep  the  women  alive,  and  kill  all  the  males.”  Accordingly  the 


“The  House  of  Massacre.’ 


RESERVES  TUE  LADIES  FOR  ANOTHER  DOOM.  305 


women  and  children  whom  the  shot  had  missed  and  the  flames 
spared,  were  collected  and  brought  to  land.  Many  of  them  were 
draped  from  under  the  charred  woodwork,  or  out  of  the  water 
beside  the  boats.  Some  of  the  ladies  were  roughly  handled  by  the 
troopers,  who,  while  collecting  them,  tore  away  such  ornaments  as 
caught  their  fancy,  with  little  consideration  for  ear  or  finger. 
Their  defenders  were  all  soon  murdered,  and  lay  in  mutilation  on 
the  banks  or  in  the  boats,  or  floated  away  with  the  stream.  The 
ladies  were  taken  back  along  the  road,  through  a surging  crowd  of 
Sepoys  and  towns-people,  till  the  procession  halted  opposite  the 
pavilion  of  the  Maharajah,  who,  after  receiving  his  wretched  cap- 
tives, ordered  them  removed  to  a small  building  north  of  the  canal, 
which  was  to  be  the  scene  of  their  final  sufferings  on  the  15th  of 
the  following  month.  We  present  a sketch  of  this  place,  known 
afterward  as  the  “ House  of  the  Massacre.” 

It  comprised  two  principal  rooms,  each  twenty  feet  by  ten,  with 
three  or  four  windowless  closets,  and  behind  the  building  was  an 
open  court,  about  fifteen  yards  square,  surrounded  by  a high  wall. 
Guarded  by  Sepoys,  within  these  limits,  during  nineteen  days  of 
tropical  heat,  were  penned  up  together  these  two  hundred  and  one 
ladies  and  children  and  five  men — two  hundred  and  six  persons  in 
all — awaiting  their  doom  from  the  lips  of  a monster.  Their  food 
during  those  terrible  days  was  very  coarse  and  scanty  indeed  ; and, 
to  add  to  it  the  keenest  indignity  that  an  Oriental  could  give,  it 
was  cooked  for  them  by  the  Methers,  (scavengers.)  They  lay  on 
the  bare  ground,  and  were  closely  watched  day  and  night.  “ The 
Well,"  into  which  he  had  their  mangled  bodies  thrown,  is  shown  on 
the  left  side  of  the  picture. 

That  evening  the  Nana  Sahib  held  a State  review  in  honor  of  his 
“ victory,”  ordered  a general  illumination  of  the  city  of  Cawnpore, 
and  posted  the  Proclamation  already  quoted,  in  which  he  called 
upon  the  people  to  “ rejoice  at  the  delightful  intelligence  that 
Cawnpore  has  been  conquered,  and  the  Christians  have  been  sent 
to  hell,  and  both  the  Hindoo  and  Mohammedan  religions  have  been 
confirmed.” 


* 


30 6 THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 

The  Maharajah  at  length  enjoyed  the  compliment  he  had  so  long 
coveted,  and  was  so  long  denied — at  the  review  he  was  greeted 
with  the  full  sum  of  twenty-one  guns,  his  nephew  and  two  brothers 
receiving  seventeen  each.  He  wore  his  royal  honors  for  seventeen 
days  and  no  more.  Distributing  $50,000  among  the  mutineers,  he 
returned  in  state  to  his  Cawnpore  residence.  This  was  a hotel 
kept  by  a Mohammedan,  and  in  which  the  writer  slept  when  in  the 
place  a few  months  previously.  The  Nana  took  possession  of  these 
premises,  which  were  about  seventy-five  paces  from  the  house  here 
shown,  where  the  poor  ladies  were  confined.  Here  he  lived  from 
day  to  day  in  a perpetual  round  of  sensuality,  amid  a choice  coterie 
of  priests,  panderers,  ministers,  and  minions.  The  reigning  beauty 
of  the  fortnight  was  one  Oula  or  Adala.  She  was  the  Thais  on 
whose  breast  sank  the  vanquished  victor,  oppressed  with  brandy  and 
such  love  as  animates  a middle-aged  Eastern  debauchee.  She  is 
said  to  have  counted  by  hundreds  of  thousands  the  rupees  which 
were  lavished  upon  her  by  the  affection  or  vanity  of  her  Alexander. 

Every  night  there  was  an  entertainment  of  music,  dancing,  and 
pantomime,  the  latter  being  some  caricature  of  English  habits. 
The  noise  of  this  revelry  was  plainly  audible  to  the  captives  in  the 
adjoining  house  ; and  as  they  crowded  round  the  windows  to  catch 
a breath  of  the  cool  night  air,  the  glare  of  the  torches  and  the 
strains  of  the  barbarous  melody  might  remind  them  of  the  period 
when  he  who  was  now  the  center  of  that  noisy  throng  thought  him- 
self privileged  if  he  could  induce  them  to  honor  him  with  their 
acceptance  of  the  hospitality  of  Bithoor.  To  such  reality  of  woe 
were  they  reduced ! Heat,  hardship,  wounds,  and  want  of  space 
and  proper  nourishment  were  beginning  to  release  some  from  their 
bondage  before  the  season  marked  out  by  Azeemoolah  for  a jail 
delivery  such  as  the  world  never  witnessed  before.  A sentence  of 
relief  may  be  added  here,  as  rumors  contrary  to  the  fact  have  been 
circulated  : Trevelyan,  whom  we  have  so  freely  copied,  declares  that 
the  evidence  shows  that  these  ladies  died  without  mention,  and  we 
may  hope  without  apprehension,  of  dishonor. 

The  hour  of  retribution  dawned  at  length  ! Outraged  civiliza- 


THE  MASSACRE  OF  TIIE  LADIES. 


Sec- 


tion was  coming  with  a vengeance  to  punish  the  guilty,  and  to  save 
this  remnant  if  it  were  possible.  General  Havelock  and  his  brave 
little  brigade  were  on  their  way,  making  forced  marches  daily. 
The  Nana  roused  himself  to  meet  the  danger.  He  had  forwarded 
armies  to  resist  their  approach,  but  twice  his  forces  were  hurled  back, 
bringing  to  him  the  news  of  their  disaster.  Reserving  his  own 
sacred  person  for  the  supreme  venture,  he  now  ordered  his  whole 
army  to  be  got  ready.  But  before  setting  out  he  took  advice  as  to 
what  was  best  to  be  done  with  the  captives.  It  was  seen  that  dead 
men  or  women  tell  no  tales  and  give  no  evidence,  and  this  was 
important  in  case  of  a reverse ; while  he  also  reasoned  that,  as 
the  British  were  approaching  solely  for  the  purpose  of  releasing 
their  friends,  they  would  not  risk  another  battle  for  the  purpose 
merely  of  burying  them,  but  would  be  only  too  glad  of  an  excuse 
to  avoid  meeting  the  Peishwa  in  the  field.  So  he  and  his  council 
concluded.  Their  decision  was  that  the  ladies  should  die,  and 
that,  too,  without  further  delay,  as  the  army  must  march  in  the 
morning. 

We  purposely  omit  many  of  the  details  of  the  horrors  of  that 
dreadful  evening,  as  we  have  read  them  or  heard  them  described 
by  Havelock's  men,  and  will  try  to  give  the  result  in  brief  terms. 
About  half  past  four  o’clock  that  afternoon — the  15th — the  woman 
called  “ The  Begum  ” informed  the  ladies  that  they  were  to  be 
killed.  But  the  Sepoys  refused  to  execute  the  order,  and  there 
was  a pause.  Nana  Sahib  was  not  thus  to  be  balked,  even  though 
the  widows  of  Bajce  Rao,  his  step-mothers  by  adoption,  most  ear- 
nestly remonstrated  against  the  act.  It  was  all  in  vain.  The 
Nana  found  his  agents.  Five  men — some  of  whom  were  butchers 
by  profession — undertook  the  work  for  him.  With  their  knives 
and  swords  they  entered,  and  the  door  was  fastened  behind  them. 
The  shrieks  and  scuffling  within  told  those  without  that  these  jour- 
neymen were  executing  their  master’s  will.  The  evidence  shows 
that  it  took  them  exactly  an  hour  and  a half  to  finish  it ; they  then 
came  out  again,  having  earned  their  hire.  They  were  paid,  it  is 
said,  one  rupee  (fifty  cents)  for  each  lady,  or  one  hundred  and  three 


3°8 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


dollars  for  the  whole,  and  were  dismissed.  Then  a number  of 
Methers  (scavengers)  were  called,  and  by  the  heels,  or  hair  of  their 
head,  these  once  beautiful  women  and  children  were  dragged  out 
of  the  house  and  dropped  down  into  the  open  well — shown  on  the 
left  of  the  picture — the  dying  with  the  dead,  and  the  children  over 
all ! The  well  had  been  used  for  purposes  of  irrigation,  and  was 
some  fifty  feet  deep.  Next  morning,  when  the  army  marched,  no 
living  European  remained  in  Cawnpore. 

Commanding  in  person,  the  Nana  Sahib  went  forth  that  day  to 
meet  General  Havelock,  bent  on  doing  something  great  in  de- 
fense of  his  tottering  throne.  But,  notwithstanding  the  dispar- 
ity of  their  numbers,  he  soon  realized  the  difference  between  them 
and  the  group  of  invalids  and  civilians,  whom  he  had  brought  to 
bay  behind  that  deserted  rampart,  or  a front  rank  of  seated  ladies 
and  children  and  a rear  rank  of  gentlemen,  all  with  their  hands 
strapped  behind  their  backs,  as  in  his  first  “victory.”  Now  he 
saw  before  him,  extending  from  left  to  right,  the  line  of  white  faces, 
of  red  cloth,  and  of  sparkling  steel.  With  set  teeth  and  flashing 
eyes,  ahd  rifles  tightly  grasped,  closer  and  closer  drew  the  meas- 
ured tramp  of  feet,  and  the  heart  of  the  foe  died  within  him  ; his 
fire  grew  hasty  and  ill-directed,  and,  as  the  last  volley  cut  the  ail 
overhead,  the  English,  with  a shout,  rushed  forward  at  their  foes. 
Then  each  rebel  thought  only  of  himself.  The  terrible  shrapnel 
and  canister  tore  through  their  ranks,  and  they  broke  ere  the  bay- 
onet could  touch  them.  Squadron  after  squadron,  and  battalion 
after  battalion,  these  humbled  Brahmins  dropped  their  weapons, 
threw  off  their  packs,  and  spurred  and  ran  in  wild  confusion,  pur- 
sued for  miles  by  the  British  cavalry  and  artillery.  At  nightfall 
the  Nana  Sahib  entered  Cawnpore  upon  a chestnut  horse  drenched 
in  perspiration  and  with  bleeding  flanks.  On  he  sped  toward 
Bithoor,  sore  and  weary,  his  head  swimming  and  his  chest  heaving. 
He  had  never  ridden  so  far  and  fast  before.  It  was  the  just  ear- 
nest ol  that  hardship  which  was  henceforth  to  be  his  portion.  Far 
otherwise  had  he  been  wont  to  return  to  that  palace  after  a visit  of 
stale  to  the  English : lolling,  vinaigrette  in  hand,  beneath  the 


EVIL  SHALL  HUNT  THE  VIOLENT  HAN,  ETC.  309 

breath  of  fans,  amid  the  cushions  of  a luxurious  carriage,  sur- 
rounded by  a moving  hedge  of  outriders  and  running  footmen. 
Placing  his  harem  on  steeds,  with  some  treasure  and  provisions,  and 
with  his  brothers  and  such  as  chose  to  follow  his  fortunes,  he 
accompanied  his  forces  to  resist  General  Havelock’s  advance  on 
Lucknow.  When  again  defeated,  for  the  fifth  time,  he  fled  to  the 
congenial  society  of  Khan  Bahadar  at  Bareilly,  where  he  made  his 
last  stand  ; and  he  then,  having  filled  to  overflowing  the  measure  of 
his  guilt,  passed  away  like  a thief  in  the  night,  and  left  his  wealth 
to  the  spoiler.  Accompanied  by  his  evil  spirit,  Azeemoolah,  he 
and  his  followers  entered  the  jungles  of  Oude  and  penetrated  deep 
into  desolate  wilds,  where 'the  malarious  fever  soon  thinned  off  his 
company,  and  reduced  the  remnant  to  the  final  distress.  For  the 
last  that  is  known  of  this  man’s  doom  we  have  to  depend  upon  the 
reports  of  two  native  spies  who  followed  him,  and  two  of  his  serv- 
ants who  subsequently  found  their  way  out  of  those  Himalayan 
solitudes.  Wasted  and  worn  at  last  by  fever  and  starvation  to 
utter  desperation,  they  are  reported  to  have  held  a council,  and  con- 
cluded to  put  their  swords  each  through  his  own  women,  and  then 
to  separate  and  die  alone.  Certainly  a remnant  of  any  of  them 
has  never  since  been  seen.  The  Nana  Sahib  wore  that  great  ruby 
which  was  so  celebrated  for  its  size  and  brilliancy.  His  priests 
had  told  him  that  it  was  an  amulet  which  secured  to  him  a charmed 
life.  He  trusted  in  it,  no  doubt,  to  the  very  last.  It  was  probably 
in  his  turban  when  he  wandered  up  that  deep  ravine  to  die  alone  ; 
and  if  so,  there  it  lies  to-day,  for  no  human  hand  will  ever  pene- 
trate those  pestilential  jungles  to.  gather  it.  The  eagles  of  the 
Himalayas  alone,  as  they  look  down  from  their  lofty  height  for 
their  prey,  are  the  only  creatures  that  will  ever  see  the  burning  rays 
of  that  ruby,  as  it  shines  amid  the  rags  of  the  vagrant  who  perished 
there  long  years  ago  ! 

On  the  17th  of  July  at  daybreak  the  English  army  reached 
Cawnpore  ; they  passed  the  walls  of  the  roofless  barracks,  pitted 
with  shot  and  blackened  with  flames,  and  then  came  to  “ the 
Ladies’  House,”  and,  as  they  stood  sobbing  at  the  door,  they  saw 


3io 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


what  it  were  well  could  the  outraged  earth  have  hidden — the  inner 
apartment  was  almost  ankle  deep  in  blood ! The  plaster  all  around 
was  scored  with  sword-cuts,  not  high  up,  as  where  men  had  fought, 
but  low  down,  and  around  the  corners,  as  if  a creature  had  crouched 
there  to  avoid  the  blow.  Fragments  of  dresses,  large  locks  of  hair, 
broken  combs,  with  three  or  four  Bibles  and  Prayer  Books,  and 
children’s  little  shoes,  were  scattered  around.  Alas  ! it  was  thirty- 
six  hours  too  late  ! The  Well  beside  the  House  held  what  they  had 
marched  and  fought  so  hard  to  save,  and  marched  and  fought  in 
vain.  They  had  to  leave  them  as  they  found  them  ; so  they  filled 
up  the  well  and  leveled  the  earth  about  it.  Over  that  well  a 
weeping  country  has  erected  a graceful  shrine,  and  has  turned  the 
ground  around  it  into  a fair  garden,  and  made  the  whole  forever 
sacred  to  their  memory.  We  present  views  of  the  outside  and 
inside  of  the  shrine,  engraved  from  photographs  taken  on  the  spot. 

Around  the  rim  of  the  stone  covering  the  well’s  mouth  is  this 
inscription  : 

“ Sacred  to  the  perpetual  memory  of  a great  company  of  Christian 

PEOPLE,  CHIEFLY  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN,  CRUELLY  MASSACRED  NEAR  THIS  SPOT 
BY  THE  REBEL  NANA  SAHIB,  AND  THROWN,  THE  DYING  WITH  THE  DEAD,  INTO 
THE  WELL  BENEATH  ON  THE  XVTH  DAY  OF  JULY,  MDCCCLVII.” 

Over  the  door  outside  are  the  words  of  the  one  hundred  and  forty- 
first  Psalm,  “ Our  bones  are  scattered  at  the  grave’s  mouth,  as 
when  one  cutteth  and  cleaveth  wood  upon  the  earth.” 

The  garden,  inclosed,  planted,  and  made  so  lovely,  with  the 
monument  in  the  center,  is  now  such  a contrast  in  its  peace  and 
beauty  to  the  sorrows  once  endured  within  its  limits,  that  one  is 
reminded  of  the  words  which  Havelock’s  men  cut  on  the  tem- 
porary monument  of  wood  which  they  placed  over  the  well : “ I 
believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the  body.”  The  entire  premises 
have  been  placed  by  Government  under  the  appropriate  guardian- 
ship of  Private  Murphy — one  of  the  three  survivors  of  that  fearful 
siege — and  here  he  may  be  seen  daily,  accompanying  visitors  from 
many  lands,  who  with  sad  thoughts  and  respectful  steps  approach 
the  Ladies’  Monument  in  the  Memorial  Garden  of  Cawnpore. 


The  Shrine — outside  vie1 


BLOWING  AWAY  FROM  GUNS. 


313 


It  may  be  well  here  to  consider  for  a moment  the  alleged  severi- 
ties which  some  of  the  English  soldiers  and  commanders  inflicted 
upon  those  red-handed  Sepoys.  Who  will  wonder,  as  he  thinks  of 
the  men  that  stood  around  the  door  of  that  “ Slaughter  House,”  (as 
it  was  long  after  called,)  and  who  gazed  upon  a sight  that  no  other 
men  had  ever  seen,  and  who,  as  they  reflected  upon  all  they  had 
themselves  so  vainly  endured  to  save  those  whose  gory  memen- 
toes lay  before  them,  causing  these  sun-burned  soldiers  to  sob  and 
weep  like  children,  that  such  soldiers,  in  such  circumstances,  should 
have  vowed  vengeance  against  the  perpetrators  of  this  matchless 
cruelty  ? Does  not  even  humanity,  in  advance,  require  a gentle 
judgment  upon  their  feelings  and  resolutions,  or  the  retributions 
which  they  afterward  administered  ? 

One  of  them  told  me  that,  as  they  stood  around  the  door  and 
looked  in,  a tuft  of  hair,  from  a lady’s  head,  floated  on  the  con- 
gealed mass  ; a comrade  went  in,  walking  on  his  heels  to  keep  his 
shoes  above  the  gore,  and  snatching  up  the  handful  of  hair,  he 
returned  to  them  and  proposed  they  should  share  it  among  them. 
They  stood  around  in  a circle,  and  divided  it,  taking  an  oath  that 
they  would  have  a Sepoy  life  for  each  hair  they  held  ! This  dread- 
ful resolution  may  be  forgiven.  General  Havelock  was  a man  of 
mercy  as  well  as  of  valor,  and  impressed  his  authority  upon  them, 
so  as  to  keep  them  from  exercising  this  vengeance  upon  any  save 
resisting  rebels  and  convicted  criminals.  Two  of  his  Aids,  Generals 
Neill  and  Renaud,  were  more  severe  ; they  felt  it  their  duty  to 
break  the  caste,  as  well  as  to  take  the  life,  of  the  more  prominent 
murderers  who  fell  into  their  hands,  by  requiring  these  Brahmin 
Sepoys  to  wipe  up  the  blood  which  their  leader  had  caused  to 
be  shed  ; reminding  one  of  the  punishment  inflicted  by  Ulysses 
in  the  palace  of  Ithaca,  as  related  by  Homer,  only  that  the  prov- 
ocation was  so  much  greater  at  Cawnpore.  Under  any  other 
civilization  than  Christianity,  in  its  hour  of  triumph,  retaliation 
would  have  been  general  and  undiscriminating.  The  citizens  of 
Cawnpore  well  knew  that  a Hindoo  or  Moslem  army,  in  such  an 
opportunity,  and  with  such  a deed  to  revenge,  would  have  given 


3H 


THE  LANE  OF  THE  VEDA. 


them  and  their  city  to  fire  and  sword,  and  have  left  only  a ruin 
behind. 

The  practice  of  “blowing  men  from  guns”  in  India  during  the 
Rebellion  also  needs  a few  words  of  explanation.  The  act  has  been 
much  misunderstood,  especially  in  this  country.  I have  met  with 
strange  assertions  upon  this  matter,  some  of  which  assumed  that 
the  Sepoys  were  actually  rammed  into  the  guns,  and  then  fired 
out ! and  too  often  has  it  been  said  or  supposed  that  the  act  was 
perpetrated  as  a refinement  of  cruelty.  Both  of  these  opinions  are 
mistaken.  The  mode  of  death  in  this  case  was,  usually,  to  sink  a 
stake  in  the  ground,  and  tie  the  man  to  it ; the  gun  was  behind  him, 
from  six  to  eight  feet  distant,  loaded  with  blank  cartridge,  and, 
when  discharged,  it  dissipated  the  man’s  remains.  It  was  a quick 
and  painless  mode  of  death,  for  the  man  was  annihilated,  as  it  were, 
ere  he  knew  that  he  was  struck.  But  what  the  Sepoys  objected  to 
in  it  was,  the  dishonor  done  to  the  body,  its  integrity  being  de- 
stroyed, so  that  the  Shrnad  could  not  be  performed  for  them.  [The 
Shraad  is  a funeral  ceremony,  which  all  caste  Hindoos  invest  with 
the  highest  significance,  as  essential  to  their  having  a happy  trans- 
migration ; the  dissipation  of  the  mortal  remains  of  a man  thus 
executed  would  necessarily  render  its  importance  impossible,  and 
so  expose  the  disembodied  ghost,  in  their  opinion,  to  a wandering, 
indefinite  condition  in  the  other  world,  which  they  regard  as  dread- 
ful ; and,  to  avoid  this  liability,  when  condemned  to  die  they  would 
plead,  as  a mercy,  to  be  hung  or  shot  with  the  musket — any  mode 
— but  not  to  be  blown  away. 

Knowing  that  this  was  the  only  procedure  of  which  their  wretched 
consciences  were  afraid,  two  of  the  English  officers — one  of  them 
being  General  Corbett,  at  Lahore — threatened  this  mode  of  punish- 
ment upon  Sepoy  troops  whom  they  could  not  otherwise  restrain 
from  rebelling.  Corbett  did,  at  last,  execute  it  upon  twelve  of  the 
ringleaders  of  a Sepoy  regiment  which,  during  the  height  of  his 
anxiety  for  the  safety  of  the  Punjab,  rose  one  morning  and  shot 
their  officers,  and  marched  for  Delhi.  He  took  two  Sikh  regiments 
and  pursued  and  scattered  them,  bringing  back  these  leaders  for 


GENERAL  CORBETT'S  MOTIVE.  3 1 5 

trial  and  execution.  The  court  resolved  death  should  be  inflicted  in 
this  mode,  as  a last  resort  to  strike  terror  into  the  other  two  Sepoy 
regiments,  so  as  to  restrain  them  from  rising.  And  it  certainly 
had  that  effect.  From  the  hour  of  that  execution  till  Delhi  fell,  not 
a single  Sepoy  hand  was  raised  against  an  officer’s  life  or  the  Gov- 
ernment. They  saw  that  the  man  at  their  head  would  not  shrink 
from  violating  their  prejudices,  even  as  to  their  Shraad,  if  they 
committed  mutiny  and  murder,  and  they  would  not  face  that 
danger.  So  the  Punjab  was  kept  quiet,  and  we  at  Nynee  Tal,  and 
they  at  Simla  and  Delhi,  (including  hundreds  of  ladies,)  were 
saved,  more  probably  by  that  act  of  stern  discipline  than  by  any 
other  event  during  those  seven  months. 

Every  generous  and  candid  heart  will  judge  the  General’s  action 
by  his  motive  and  the  circumstances  around  him,  as  well  as  the 
minds  on  which  he  had  to  operate.  He  was  far,  as  was  his  noble 
Governor,  Sir  John  Lawrence,  from  any  wish  to  perpetrate  an 
undue  severity  or  refinement  of  cruelty.  He  was  in  circumstances 
where  he  had  reason  to  believe  that  this  was  the  only  way  to  arrest 
murder  and  mutiny,  and  save  thousands  of  lives  whose  fate  hung 
on  the  position  of  the  Punjab  and  his  measures  to  preserve  it. 
This  was  equally  the  motive  of  the  other  General,  who  employed  it 
as  a measure  of  restraint  as  well  as  punishment.  The  act  itself 
was  analogous  to  the  policy  of  Christian  States  one  hundred  years 
ago,  in  refusing  what  was  called  “ The  Benefit  of  Clergy”  to  certain 
notorious  criminals.  Lord  Canning,  the  Governor-General,  as  soon 
as  he  heard  of  it,  however,  believing  that  it  infringed  too  much 
upon  the  conscience  of  the  Hindoos,  forbade  its  repetition  by  any 
Commander,  and  it  was  therefore  entirely  abandoned.  As  a mode 
of  punishment  it  was  introduced  into  India  by  the  French  during 
their  brief  rule  in  the  South.  Wilkes’s  “History  of  the  Mysore” 
relates  its  infliction,  by  Count  Lally,  in  1758,  upon  six  Brahmins. 

The  consideration  of  Lord  Canning,  however,  was  not  recipro- 
cated by  the  Sepoy  power  itself,  for  in  the  hour  of  their  opportu- 
nity they  made  no  scruple  whatever  to  employ  this  mode  of  execution 
upon  other  people.  We  have  testimony  that  several  of  the  Euro- 


TEE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


316 

peans  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Nawab  of  Futtyghur  and  the 
Nana  Sahib,  were  executed  by  being  blown  from  guns  ; and  even 
the  greased  cartridges,  to  which  they  at  first  objected,  when  their 
own  time  came,  they  are  said  to  have  readily  used  to  murder 
the  Europeans  who  fell  into  their  hands. 

Though,  unhappily, ‘too  late  to  save  those  who  suffered  at  Cawn- 
pore,  the  relieving  army  were  destined,  after  endurance  and  valor 
which  received  the  admiration  of  all  who  ever  heard  of  it,  to  reach 
and  rescue  the  larger  garrison  of  Lucknow,  which,  as  the  reader 
will  see  on  the  map,  lies  forty-three  miles  beyond  Cawnpore. 

The  Mission  of  the  Queen  of  Oude  in  1856  had  failed,  the  decree 
had  gone  forth  and  was  unalterable,  and  an  English  Governor  ruled 
the  kingdom,  which  became  a part  of  British  India.  His  official 
residence — ere  long  to  become  so  famous — is  shown  in  the  picture 
on  the  opposite  page.  This  building,  before  the  annexation,  was 
the  home  of  “ the  Resident,”  or  English  Embassador,  at  the  Court 
of  Oude,  and  afterward  became  the  house  of  “ the  Chief  Commis- 
sioner,” or  Governor,  of  the  kingdom,  and  was  therefore  called 
“ The  Residency.” 

No  record  of  human  endurance  exceeds  that  which  was  here 
exhibited  from  June  to  November,  1857.  “The  Story  of  Cawn- 
pore” is,  alas!  more  tragical;  but  for  the  great  qualities  of  the 
heroic  and  the  enduring,  Lucknow  may  well  challenge  human  his- 
tory to  furnish  a higher  example,  especially  when  we  remember  the 
number  of  women  who  were  here  shut  up,  and  how  nobly  they  bore 
themselves  amid  risks  and  sufferings  which  only  Christian  women 
of  our  Anglo-Saxon  race  could  bear  to  the  bitter  end,  and  yet 
emerge  from  them  all  in  moral  triumph.  Nearly  a dozen  volumes, 
by  different  hands — three  of  them  from  the  pens  of  ladies — have 
presented  the  facts  to  the  world.  They  abundantly  show  how 
nobly  woman  can  illustrate  the  virtue  inculcated  by  Virgil : 

“ Do  not  yield  to  misfortunes, 

But  advance  to  meet  them  with  greater  fortitude.” 

Probably  there  never  was  such  a siege  as  that  of  Lucknow.  His- 
tory seems  to  have  no  parallel  to  it  in  its  extraordinary  circum- 


"The  Residency,"  Lucknow,  India. 


THE  PREPARATIONS  FOR  RESISTANCE. 


319 


stances,  the  bravery  of  its  garrison,  the  privations,  risks,  and  horrors 
to  which  the  women  were  subjected,  while  hope  was  deferred,  and 
England  gave  them  up  as  dead,  and  they  themselves  at  length, 
“not  expecting  deliverance,”  resolved  to  die,  if  die  they  must,  with 
their  face  to  their  bloody  and  relentless  foe.  T.  he  women  of  Car- 
thage are  celebrated  for  having  cut  off  their  hair  to  make  bow- 
strings  for  their  husbands,  but  the  resolute  and  enduring  courage 
of  these  daughters  of  Britain  make  them  worthy  of  higher  fame. 
Englishmen  may  well  feel  proud  ot  their  countrywomen. 

Two  great  and  good  men  are  the  central  figures  of  this  siege  and 
relief,  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  and  Sir  Henry  Havelock — the  former 
an  Episcopalian  and  the  latter  a Baptist — both  men  who  honored 
and  loved  God,  and  who  were  gre’atly  honored  by  God,  the  first  in 
defending,  the  latter  in  rescuing,  against  fearful  odds,  the  gallant 
men  and  women  of  the  Lucknow  Residency. 

Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  after  spending  more  than  thirty  years  in 
the  military  and  civil  service  in  India,  was  appointed  Governor  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Oude.  He  reached  Lucknow,  the  capital,  and 
entered  upon  his  duties  early  in  1857,  fully  impressed  by  the  dan- 
gerous condition  of  things  at  that  time.  Though  in  very  feeble 
health,  he  set  himself  vigorously  at  work  to  prepare  for  the  coming 
storm,  which  at  length  broke  over  India  on  the  memorable  31st  of 
May.  Every  city  in  Oude,  save  Lucknow,  was  seized  that  day  by 
the  Sepoys,  and  deeds  of  cruelty  and  blood  perpetrated  which 
shocked  the  whole  civilized  world.  Lucknow  alone,  where  Sir 
Henry  dwelt  in  the  Residency,  was  held,  and  even  his  vigor  and 
ability  could  not  have  suspended  its  fall  had  he  not  had  a hand- 
ful of  English  soldiers  to  rely  upon.  He  at  once  collected  all  the 
civilians  and  Christian  residents  of  Lucknow,  with  a few  native 
troops  whose  fidelity  he  thought  he  could  trust,  and  over  whom  he 
exerted  a wonderful  influence,  into  the  Residency,  and  some  other 
houses  close  to  it,  and  began  to  fortify  them  in  the  best  manner 
that  the  time  and  means  at  his  command  would  allow.  Provisions 
were  collected  rapidly,  and  ammunition  stored  and  prepared,  guns 
put  in  position,  and  his  people  organized.  In  addition  to  the 


320 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


Residency,  he  also  occupied  an  old  fort  called  the  “Muchee  Bha- 
wun,”  about  one  third  of  a mile  west  of  the  Residency,  and  close 
to  which  are  our  mission  premises.  Dividing  his  force,  he  fondly 
hoped  to  be  strong  enough  to  hold  both  positions  till  re-enforce- 
ments  should  reach  him,  and  enable  him  to  restore  law  and  order 
at  the  capital,  and  throughout  the  kingdom.  How  little  he  fore- 
boded the  fearful  odds  against  which  his  feeble  garrison  would  soon 
have  to  contend  ! Meanwhile  the  reports  of  the  fiendish  atrocities 
of  Delhi,  Meerut,  Shahjehanpore,  Bareilly,  and  other  places  reached 
Lucknow,  and  its  few  hundred  anxious  Christian  people  began  to 
realize  more  fully  how  completely  they  were  cut  off  from  all  human 
assistance,  and  how  dark  their  own  future  was  becoming. 

The  natives  in  the  city  had  become  so  persuaded  of  the  over- 
throw of  the  English  power  that  the  Government  securities,  which 
a few  days  before  were  selling  at  a premium,  had  fallen  from  over 
one  hundred  to  thirty-seven.  Fanatics  paraded  the  city — some  of 
them  haranguing  the  crowds  of  people,  and  exhibiting  pictures  of 
Europeans  maimed  and  mutilated  by  Sepoys  ; others  had  a show 
of  dolls  dressed  as  European  children,  which  ended  by  striking  off 
their  heads,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  mobs,  who  looked  on  and 
applauded  ; while  the  blasphemy  of  Mohammedan  Fakirs  became 
bold  and  frightful,  as  they  exulted  in  the  overthrow  of  Christian- 
ity, and  demanded  the  blood  of  “ the  Kaffirs”  in  the  Fort  and  Res- 
idency, as  the  consummation  of  their  efforts.  These  wretched  men 
imagined  that  the  whole  of  Hindustan  had  fallen,  that  the  few  of  our 
faith  around  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  were  all  of  the  Christian  life  left 
in  India ; and  for  many  long  and  weary  months  the  Christians  gen- 
erally, like  those  at  Nynee  Tal,  did  not  know  but  that  this  was  the 
terrible  truth. 

While  busy  preparing  the  defenses  with  which  they  were  sur- 
rounding the  Residency  and  the  other  houses  near  it,  so  as  to  form 
intrenchments,  and  make  the  best  of  their  position,  Sir  Henry  was 
joined  by  the  few  Europeans  who  had  escaped  from  the  massacres 
at  Secrora  and  other  stations  in  Oude.  The  news  they  brought 
deepened  the  gloom  of  the  situation.  Reports  of  the  dead  bodies 


THE  DISASTROUS  DEFEAT  OF  CIIIN1IUT.  32 1 

ol  Europeans,  among  them  three  women,  lying  by  the  road  side  a 
few  miles  out,  were  brought  to  them,  and  the  fiendish  cruelty  to 
which  they  were  exposed  received  a fearful  illustration  when,  one 
day,  some  natives  brought  to  the  Residency  the  body  of  an  English 
lady,  which  they  had  found  lying  by  the  road  side  cut  up  into  quar- 
ters ! These  unfortunate  people  were  evidently  making  for  the 
Residency  when  they  were  overtaken  and  thus  cruelly  murdered 
and  mutilated  by  the  Sepoys. 

Sir  Henry  now  redoubled  his  efforts  to  complete  the  batteries, 
stockades,  and  trenches  around  his  position,  and  prepare  for  what- 
ever might  occur.  Hearing,  on  the  29th  of  June,  that  the  insur- 
gents were  approaching  Lucknow,  he  concluded  to  march  out  with 
a part  of  his  little  force,  hoping  to  defeat  them  before  they  reached 
the  city,  and  so  save  himself  from  investment  and  the  city  from 
being  taken  ; but,  unfortunately,  his  information  of  the  strength  of 
the  foe  was  defective,  and  in  the  moment  of  emergency,  when  he 
suddenly  came  upon  them  at  Chinhut,  seven  miles  from  Lucknow, 
he  found  his  little  force  of  six  hundred  and  thirty-six  men  and 
eleven  guns  in  front  of  an  enemy  fifteen  thousand  strong,  with  six 
batteries  of  guns  of  various  caliber,  all  ready  to  receive  him.  Be- 
fore his  force  could  recover  their  surprise  the  foe  ‘opened  upon 
them,  their  cavalry  quickly  outflanking  them,  and  it  seemed  for  a 
while  as  though  not  a man  could  escape  to  tell  the  tale.  But  the 
brave  handful  of  troops  showed  a bold  front,  charging  with  the 
bayonet  when  the  enemy  came  near  enough,  yet  unable  to  follow 
up  their  advantages.  The  native  drivers  of  the  British  guns  fled 
in  terror,  and  their  artillery  was  rendered  nearly  useless,  and  most 
of  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  foe.  Colonel  Case,  at  the  head  of  his 
men,  was  struck  by  a bullet  and  dropped.  Captain  Bassano,  seeing 
him  fall,  turned  to  assist  him,  but  the  dying  hero  waved  him  off, 
saying,  “ Captain  Bassano,  leave  me  to  die  here  ; your  place  is  at 
the  head  of  your  company.  I have  no  need  of  assistance.” 

They  now  tried  to  return  to  Lucknow,  but  only  about  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-four  of  their  number  reached  the  Residency ; they 

saved  only  sixty-five  of  their  wounded — the  rest  were  all  cut  up. 

18 


322 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


The  wonder  is,  that  any  one  escaped.  Had  the  rebel  cavalry  used 
its  opportunity  not  a single  man  of  Sir  Henry  Lawrence’s  force,  or 
of  the  faithful  natives  he  had  with  him,  could  ever  have  returned  to 
the  Residency. 

This  sad  event  of  Chinhut  caused  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  the  deep- 
est anguish,  and  it  is  thought  tended  to  shorten  his  life.  His  face, 
already  careworn  enough  to  be  remarkable,  assumed  a sad  aspect 
that  it  was  painful  to  contemplate.  But  he  nerved  himself  to  meet 
the  stern  realities  of  the  position,  an.d  all  allow  that  it  was,  under 
God,  to  his  foresight  and  efforts  that  the  Lucknow  garrison  held 
out  to  be  at  last  relieved  by  Havelock.  Those  who  had  till  this 
day  remained  outside  the  intrenchments  had  now  to  fly  to  the  Res- 
idency, leaving  houses  and  property  unprotected,  sacrificing  every 
thing,  and  thinking  only  of  saving  their  lives.  The  Residency  be- 
came one  scene  of  confusion — the  women  and  children  rushing  to 
find  a place  of  refuge  from  the  relentless  foe,  who,  flushed  with 
victory,  were  approaching  with  flying  colors  and  drums  beating, 
confident  of  an  easy  triumph  over  the  remnant  that  remained. 

Men,  covered  with  blood,  some  with  mangled  limbs,  their  mus- 
cles contracted  with  agony,  their  faces  pale,  and  bodies  almost  cold, 
others  with  fhe  death-rattle  in  their  throat,  were  brought  in  by  their 
comrades  and  laid  in  rows  in  the  banqueting  hall,  now  turned  into 
a hospital.  The  ladies  crowded  around  them,  fanned  them,  sup- 
plied temporary  bandages,  and  showed  as  much  solicitude  for  them 
as  though  they  had  been  their  own  relatives,  which  was  probably 
the  case  as  to  some  of  them.  The  surgeons  were  soon  busy  enough, 
cutting,  probing,  amputating,  and  bandaging.  All  the  horrors  ot 
war  were  at  once  laid  bare  before  the  anxious  crowd. 

Every  man,  including  the  civilians — some  of  whom  had  never 
handled  a musket  before,  but  whom  Sir  Henry  had  armed — were  now 
called  out  to  defend  the  position,  for  the  exultant  enemy  were  pour- 
ing over  the  two  bridges  and  up  the  streets  to  the  very  gates  of  the 
Residency,  and  getting  their  guns  into  position.  The  people  of 
the  city  within  range  were  flying,  with  their  goods,  out  of  the  way 
of  the  expected  bombardment,  while  both  sides  prepared  for  the 


UNEQUAL  CONDITIONS  OF  TUE  CONFLICT.  323 

terrible  and  unequal  conflict.  The  defenses  of  the  Residency  were 
hastily  completed.  Barricades  were  formed  in  all  exposed  situa- 
tions, and  it  is  marvelous  to  read  the  elements  of  which  some  of 
them  were  composed — -.mahogany  tables  and  valuable  furniture  of 
all  kinds,  carriages  and  carts,  the  records  of  Government  officers  in 
large  chests,  boxes  of  stationery,  and  whatever  could  be  laid  hold 
of  and  piled  up,  to  cover  from  the  enemy’s  fire  or  stop  a bullet. 
Even  Captain  Hayes’s  famous  library,  consisting  of  invaluable 
Oriental  manuscripts,  the  standard  literary  and  scientific  works  of 
European  nations,  and  dictionaries  of  almost  every  language,  were, 
for  the  nonce,  converted  into  barricades. 

These,  with  the  other  defenses  which  they  had  already  prepared, 
were  by  no  means  strong,  though  the  best  they  could  extemporize. 
Their  chief  reliance  was  on  the  number  of  their  guns,  the  quantity 
of  their  ammunition,  and  their  own  courage,  which  they  hoped  the 
God  of  Hosts  would  crown  with  his  blessing,  till  relief  could  reach 
them  from  Calcutta  or  from  England. 

Their  enemies  had  taken  possession  of  the  houses  deserted  by 
the  citizens,  and  were  filling  them  with  sharp-shooters,  loop-holing 
the  walls,  and  putting  their  numerous  cannon  in  position  all  around 
the  Residency,  as  near  as  they  could  come,  a few  of  them  being  so 
close  that  they  were  not  more  than  forty  or  fifty  yards  from  the 
intrenchments  around  the  buildings  occupied  by  the  Christians. 
This  seems  almost  incredible,  but  I can  vouch  for  its  truthfulness 
from  personal  knowledge  before  the  siege,  and  personal  examina- 
tion after  it,  while  the  battered  and  torn  Residency  is  to-day  its 
standing  memorial.  Each  party  spent  a busy  night,  and  next 
morning  the.  iron  messengers  of  death  were  flying  back  and  forth 
in  increasing  numbers. 

Let  us  pause  here  and  note  the  respective  strength  of  the  par- 
ties in  this  fearfully  unequal  conflict,  and  the  object  for  which  each 
was  about  to  fight.  On  the  one  side  were  part  of  an  English 
regiment,  one  company  of  British  artillery,  a few  hundred  faithful 
Sepoys,  with  some  English  and  European  civilians  ; on  the  other, 
the  whole  army  of  Oude.  But  this  fact  is  worthy  of  more  detail. 


324 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


The  entire  number  now  inside  the  Residency,  including  those 
holding  the  fort  of  the  Muchee  Bawun,  near  by,  was  as  follows  : 


Men  : European  soldiers 629 

“ civilians 298 

Native  soldiers 765 

Total  bearing  arms 1,692 

Women 240 

Children 310 

Total  inside  the  Residency 2,242 


This  includes  the  sick  and  wounded  after  the  disastrous  defeat  at 
Chinhut. 

Outside,  their  enemies  swarmed  around  their  position  in  such 
numbers  that  they  have  been  variously  computed  at  from  30,000 
to  100,000  strong  at  different  periods  during  the  siege,  with  about 
one  hundred  guns  bearing  on  the  devoted  Residency  and  its 
defenders. 

But  mere  numbers  do  not  give  a sufficient  idea  of  this  dreadful 
contest.  Many  of  those  now  within  the  Residency  had  fled  there 
in  such  panic  as  to  leave  behind  in  their  homes  their  provisions, 
money,  and  furniture,  and  were  literally  without  a change  of  cloth- 
ing, or  a bed  to  lie  down  upon,  or  a knife  and  spoon  with  which  to 
eat  their  scanty  food.  The  hottest  time  of  the  year  was  upon 
them,  with  not  the  first  of  the  appliances  by  which  they  had  been 
accustomed  to  mitigate  its  rigor.  Crowded  into  the  narrowest 
space,  most  of  them  had  to  lie  down  on  the  ground,  the  heat, 
mosquitoes  and  effluvia  being  almost  intolerable  : the  shot  of  the 
enemy,  too,  often  came  crashing  through  the  walls,  sprinkling  them 
with  the  dust  and  mortar  as  it  passed  over  them,  while  sometimes 
a fearful  shell  would  explode  in  their  midst,  and  kill  or  wound 
two  or  three  or  more  of  them.  Alas  ! one  hundred  and  forty-three 
days  of  such  suffering  lay  before  them  now,  during  which  time 
two  fifths  of  their  number  were  to  die,  and  more  than  a thousand 
brave  men  would  have  to  perish  in  order  to  save  the  remnant  that 
was  left ! 

The  Residency  itself,  and  a few  houses  around  it — the  homes  of 


THE  MUCH  EE  BAWUN  BLOWN  UP. 


325 


the  officers  in  the  suite  of  the  Governor — occupied  an  elevated 
plateau,  with  the  city  on  three  sides  of  it  and  the  river  Goomtee  on 
the  north.  From  the  roof  of  the  Residency  the  view  was  beauti- 
ful, extending  over  the  city  and  surrounding  country.  The  num- 
ber and  variety  of  the  buildings,  the  gilded  domes  and  cupolas,  the 
elegant  outlines  of  the  palaces,  all  set  in  the  deep  green  of  the 
surrounding  trees  and  gardens,  together  made  up  a scene  of  sur- 
passing beauty ; but  no  building  could  have  been  less  calculated 
for  purposes  of  defense.  Its  lofty  windows,  which,  had  not  been 
walled  up,  offered  unopposed  entrance  to  every  bullet  that  came. 
The  roof  was  wholly  exposed.  Below  its  ground  floor  the  Resi- 
dency had  a spacious  “ Tyekhana  ” — underground  rooms,  used  by 
people  in  India  as  a retreat  from  the  heat  and  glare  of  the  mid-day 
sun  in  the  hot  season,  and  as  soon  as  the  siege  commenced  the 
ladies  and  children  were  crowded  into  this  splendid  cellar,  and  had 
to  remain  there.  The  Banqueting  Hall  was  turned  into  a hospital, 
and  the  upper  rooms  occupied  by  the  soldiers.  Altogether,  in  this 
one  building  there  were  from  800  to  1,000  persons.  The  remain- 
der were  placed  in  the  houses  around,  or  at  the  batteries,  or  where 
any  shelter  could  be  found. 

Meanwhile  the  siege  went  on,  and  increased  in  its  fierceness  ; 
closer  and  closer  still  was  drawn  the  circle  of  guns  around  the 
position,  and  they  were  served  with  great  ability.  Every  loop-hole 
made  in  the  walls  of  the  houses  around  had  a sharp-shooter  at  it 
day  and  night,  and  the  moment  a head  was  exposed  the  rifle  sent 
forth  a leaden  messenger  of  death.  Sir  Henry  soon  became  con- 
vinced that  he  was  too  weak  in  numbers  to  think  any  longer  of 
holding  both  the  Muchee  Bawun  and  the  Residency.  He  saw 
that  he  would  be  overwhelmed  in  the  assault  which  would  probably 
follow  this  fierce  bombardment,  so  he  resolved  to  give  up  the 
Muchee  Bawun  and  concentrate  his  whole  force  within  the  Resi- 
dency. But  how  to  effect  the  junction  now,  when  the  river  side 
of  the  road  the  whole  way  to  the  Muchee  Bawun  was  lined  with 
the  batteries  and  troops  of  the  enemy,  was  a difficulty  before  which 
most  men  would  have  shrunk.  Sir  Henry,  however,  saw  it  must 


326 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


be  attempted,  and  every  thing  was  done  to  carry  it'  out.  By  tele- 
graphic signals  from  the  tower,  shown  in  the  picture,  communica- 
tions were  at  length  established,  and  the  order  was  transmitted  to 
the  commanding  officer,  “Blow  up  the  fort  and  come  to  the  Resi- 
dency at  twelve  o'clock  to-night.  Bring  your  treasure  and  guns,  and 
destroy  the  remainder .” 

That  night  was  anxiously  looked  for,  and  many  an  earnest 
prayer  went  up  to  God  that  every  movement  might  be  made  safely 
and  well,  so  that  the  retreat  of  the  retiring  force  might  not  be 
intercepted.  To  distract  the  attention  of  the  enemy  the  batteries 
opened  fire,  especially  toward  the  iron  bridge,  by  which  the  column 
must  pass.  The  movement  was  most  successfully  accomplished, 
and  so  noiseless  was  the  march,  favored  by  the  darkness,  that  the 
head  of  the  column  was  at  the  Residency  gate  at  fifteen  minutes 
after  twelve.  There  was  a little  delay  here,  as,  not  being  sc5 
quickly  expected,  the  gate  had  not  been  made  ready.  It  was  dark, 
and  a very  serious  accident  had  almost  occurred,  for  the  leading 
men  finding  the  gates  closed,  cried  out,  “ Open  the  gates.”  This 
the  artillerists  at  the  guns  above,  which  covered  the  entrance, 
mistook  for  “open  with  grape.”  They  flew  to  their  guns  and 
rammed  in  the  grape,  when  an  officer  rushed  up  and  set  them 
right.  The  whole  force  came  in  without  a shot  being  fired  by 
them  or  at  them.  The  distance  is  fully  one  third  of  a mile,  and 
the  enemy  was  on  their  left  hand,  within  fifty  or  sixty  yards  of  them 
most  of  the  way.  The  explosion  had  not  yet  occurred,  the  fuses 
having  been  left  extra  long  to  give  time  for  the  rear  to  be  quite 
clear  of  danger  ; but  soon  a shake  of  the  earth,  a volume  of  fire,  a 
terrific  report,  and  an  immense  column  of  black  smoke  shooting 
high  into  the  air,  announced  to  Lucknow  that  the  Muchee  Bawun 
was  no  more.  All  the  ammunition  that  they  could  not  remove — 
two  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  of  powder  and  several  millions  of 
ball  cartridge — was  destroyed,  together  with  the  buildings  and  their 
contents.  The  shock  resembled  an  earthquake. 

How  gladly  the  garrison  greeted  their  comrades  as  they  entered! 
The  junction  of  the  two  forces  was  an  incalculable  gain,  for  the 


SIR  II E Nil T LAWRENCE'S  DEATH 


327 


additional  men  were  actually  required  to  man  the  defenses,  and 
their  safe  arrival  greatly  cheered  every  person  in  the  Residency. 
Strange  things  will  occur  in  the  most  solemn  circumstances.  On 
calling  their  muster-roll  they  found  one  man  was  missing — an  Irish 
soldier.  He  was  given  up  as  lost.  The  unfortunate  fellow  had 
been  left  behind  in  a state  of  intoxication.  He  was  thrown  into 
the  air  and  returned  again  to  mother  earth  unhurt,  continued  his 
drunken  sleep,  and  awoke  early  next  morning  to  find,  to  his  aston- 
ishment, the  fort  all  in  ruins  around  him.  He  deliberately  walked 
to  the  Residency,  unmolested  by  any  one.  The  men  inside 
the  Residency  gate,  just  as  day  was  breaking,  were  not  a little 
surprised  to  hear  a man  outside  sing  out  to  them,  with  a rich  Irish 
brogue,  “ Arrah,  thin,  open  your  gates  ! ” Convulsed  with  laugh- 
ter, they  opened  and  let  the  poor  fellow  in.  He  was  asked  why  he 
had  left  the  fort,  and  with  a look  of  wonder  and  simplicity  an- 
swered, “ Sure,  an’  I didn’t  see  e’er  a man  in  the  place.” 

Every  one  seemed  to  catch  the  spirit  of  the  noble  chief — Sir 
Henry’s  presence  anywhere  was  like  a re-enforcement.  Day  and 
night  he  was  inspecting  and  encouraging  the  various  posts,  ex- 
posed to  imminent  danger  all  the  while.  From  twelve  to  forty 
men  were  at  each  point  or  battery,  with  thousands  of  the  blood- 
thirsty and  blaspheming  fanatics  opposed  to  each  set  ; but  these 
outposts  must  be  maintained,  for  if  once  in,  the  enemy  never 
could  have  been  turned  out ; every  man,  woman,  and  child  would 
have  been  ruthlessly  butchered  ; yet  each  party  fought  under  the 
apprehension  that  others  might  be  more  hardly  pressed  than  them- 
selves, and  occasionally  the  cry  would  be  heard,  “ More  men  this 
way !”  and  off  would  run  two  or  three,  all  that  could  be  spared,  till 
a similar  cry  was  heard  from  another  direction,  when  others  would 
rush  to  that  point  to  give  assistance. 

On  July  4 the  heaviest  trial  that  could  befall  them  occurred — 
their  trusted  and  heroic  commander  was  struck  down.  The 
Sepoys  had  found  out  what  room  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  occupied — 
the  one  shown  on  the  lower  floor,  right-hand  side,  in  the  picture, 
and  they  began  to  send  shells  into  it.  One  of  these  entered  and 


328 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIE  VEDA 


exploded  close  to  Sir  JHenry,  tearing  the  thigh  from  his  body,  and 
mortally  wounding  him.  He  lingered  for  two  days,  and  then  de- 
parted as  noble  a spirit  as  ever  animated  human  clay.  He  spent 
the  conscious  moments  of  these  two  days  in  directing  and  advising 
what  should  be  done  in  carrying  on  the  defense  till  succor  should 
arrive.  Frequently  he  would  arouse  himself,  and  exclaim  to  the 
mourning  group  around  him,  “ Save  the  ladies ! ” and  for  their 
sakes  he  enjoined  upon  them,  in  view  of  what  had  been  done  at 
Delhi  and  Cawnpore,  never  to  stirrender  ! His  last  thoughts  were 
given  to  those  he  loved  so  well,  and  to  the  Redeemer  whom  he 
had  served  for  many  years.  He  expressed  his  anxiety  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  “ Lawrence  Asylum  ” — a school  which  he  had  founded 
for  the  children  of  soldiers  in  India ; sent  affectionate  mes- 
sages to  his  children  and  to  his  brother,  late  Viceroy  of  India, 
and  to  his  sisters  ; and  spoke  most  affectionately  of  his  wife,  Lady 
Lawrence,  who  had  died  four  years  previously.  He  then  earnestly 
pointed  out  to  those  around  him  the  worthlessness  of  all  human 
distinctions,  recommending  them  to  fix  their  thoughts  upon  a bet- 
ter world  and  try  to  gain  it.  He  was  prayed  with,  and  received 
the  holy  sacrament,  praising  God,  and  expressing  his  perfect  faith 
and  reliance  on  his  divine  Saviour,  and  in  this  state  of  mind  he 
passed  out  of  that  scene  of  conflict  and  confusion  to  that  blessed 
clime  where 

“ No  rude  alarm  of  raging  foes, 

No  fears,  shall  break  his  long  repose.” 

Military  honors  marked  not  their  respect  for  his  remains.  The 
times  were  too  stern  for  such  demonstrations.  “ By  dead  of 
night  ” a hurried  prayer,  amid  the  booming  of  the  enemy’s  cannon 
and  the  fire  of  their  musketry,  was  read  over  his  corpse,  and  he 
was  lowered  into  a pit,  with  several  other,  though  lowlier,  compan- 
ions in  arms,  and  there  he  sleeps  behind  the  Residency,  awaiting 
the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

A feeling  of  despair  for  a few  hours  seemed  to  take  possession 
of  every  man  and  woman,  but  they  had  to  rouse  themselves  to 
meet  the  stern  realities  of  their  position.  Darker  and  more  dread- 


THEIR  DREADFUL  RESOLUTION. 


329 


fill  the  days  came  on  ; yet  still  they  fought  and  suffered.  Their 
hopes  of  relief  were  still  deferred,  and  their  hearts  were  sick,  while 
their  foes  grew  stronger  in  numbers  and  determination  to  destroy 
them,  and  would  frequently  yell  out,  with  fearful  imprecations — for 
they  were  near  enough  to  be  heard — what  they  would  do  with 
them  when  they  did  get  in.  But  the  garrison  were  determined 
there  should  not  be  another  Cawnpore.  Sir  Henry’s  injunction 
“never  to  surrender”  was  fully  accepted.  It  is  fearful  to  read 
their  resolves  should  the  worst  come,  and  to  find  the  ladies  acqui- 
escing; and  even,  in  some  cases,  requiring  an  engagement  from 
their  husbands  to  fulfill  those  wishes  rather  than  that  they  should 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Sepoys. 

This  awful  alternative  was  actually  taken  by  some  of  those  who 
fell  at  Jansee.  One  lady  in  particular  is  mentioned,  who  pledged 
her  husband,  an  English  officer,  that  when  death  became  inevitable, 
he  was  not  to  allow  her  to  fall  alive  into  the  power  of  the  Sepoys, 
but  she  was  to  die  by  a pistol-ball  from  his  own  hand.  Sadly  and 
reluctantly  he  gave  the  promise  ; and  when  the  fearful  hour  came, 
and  the  enemy  broke  in  upon  them,  she  sprang  to  his  side,  and, 
with  a last  caress  exclaimed,  “ Now,  Charley,  now — your  promise  ! ” 
He  kissed  her,  put  the  pistol  to  her  head,  and  then  turned  and  sold 
his  own  life  dearly  to  the  wretches  around  him. 

Such  cases  cannot  be  judged  by  ordinary  rules.  Those  who 
entertained  such  thoughts  were  confronted  by  an  Oriental  foe, 
whose  fiendish  malice  and  cruelty  to  women  and  children  are  not 
known  in  civilized  warfare.  It  is  a matter  of  devout  thankfulness 
that  the  Lucknow  garrison  were  not  reduced  to  this  dreadful 
extremity.  It  would  have  clouded  the  bright  record  of  their  heroic 
endurance. 

Space  would  fail  to  give  even  a brief  outline  of  their  sorrows  dur- 
ing the  next  three  months.  Reduced  to  starvation  allowances  of 
the  coarsest  food,  many  of  them  clad  in  rags,  and  all  crowded  into 
the  narrowest  quarters,  so  that  Mrs.  Harris’s  Diary  speaks  of  the 
ladies  lying  on  the  floor,  “ fitting  into  each  other  like  bits  in  a puz- 
zle, until  the  whole  floor  was  full,”  they  still  courageously  endured. 


330 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


And  if  this  was  the  condition  of  those  in  health,  what  must  have 
been  the  state  of  the  sick  and  wounded  ! Small-pox,  cholera,  boils, 
dysentery,  and  malarious  fever  added  their  horrors  to  the  situation, 
while  the  iron  hail  of  death,  mingling  with  the  drenching  rain  of 
the  monsoon,  dropped  upon  them,  so  that  by  the  first  of  August 
the  deaths  sometimes  rose  to  twenty  in  a single  day.  During  this 
period,  and  amid  all  this  turmoil  and  sorrow,  eight  or  ten  little  ones 
were  born  ; and  most  of  these  “ siege  babies,”  as  they  were  called, 
actually  .lived  through  it  all,  and  still  survive,  while  many  of  the 
poor  mothers  sank  under  their  privations.  But  the  bereaved 
babies  were  cared  for  by  the  noble  women  around  them.  Daily 
the  men  fell  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy ; and  it  is  described  as 
truly  affecting  to  see  how  the  list  of  newlv-made  widows  increased 
in  its  number  and  sadness. 

Food  and  clothing  became  painfully  scarce,  and  now  “ money 
was  despised  for  bread.”  The  effects,  or  little  stores,  of  the  offi- 
cers killed  were  at  once  sold  by  auction  to  the  survivors,  and  it  is 
curious  now  to  read  the  prices  that  were  eagerly  paid.  A bottle  of 
wine  brought  70  rupees,  (the  rupee  is  50  cents  in  gold  ;)  a ham,  75 
rupees  ; a bottle  of  honey,  45  rupees  ; a cake  of  chocolate,  30 
rupees  ; a bottle  of  brandy,  140  rupees  : a small  fowl,  bought  by 
an  officer  for  his  sick  wife,  20  rupees  ; two  pounds  of  sugar  brought 
16  rupees,  and  other  things  in  proportion.  An  old  flannel  shirt, 
that  had  seen  hard  service  in  the  mines — which  they  had  to  dig  to 
countermine  the  enemy — brought  45  rupees.  The  single  suit  with 
which  many  of  them  had  to  hurry  into  the  Residency  was  being 
fast  worn  out,  and  the  officers  might  have  been  seen  wearing  the 
most  extraordinary  costumes.  Few  had  any  semblance  of  a mili- 
tary uniform,  and  many  were  in  shirts,  trousers,  and  slippers  only. 
One  gallant  civilian,  having  found  an  old  billiard-table  cloth,  had 
contrived  to  make  himself  a kind  of  loose  coat  out  of  it.  All 
carried  muskets,  and  were  accoutered  like  the  soldiers. 

While  the  feeble  garrison  were  thus  decreasing  in  numbers,  their 
foes  were  augmenting  their  strength.  The  Talookdars  (Barons)  of 
Oude  were  sending  their  armed  retainers  to  aid  the  Sepoys,  till  it 


THE  SOOTIIING  INFLUENCE  OF  PRATER.  33 1 

was  thought  that  by  the  end  of  August  there  must  have  been  as 
many  as  one  hundred  thousand  men  around  the  Residency.  Their 
leaders  were  maddened  by  the  continued  and  successful  resistance 
of  the  English ; and  all  that  they  could  do  to  inspire  their  men,  by 
fanaticism,  bhang,  (an  intoxicating  liquor,)  and  brave  leading,  were 
done  to  capture  the  position.  They  attempted  to  storm  it  several 
times.  Three  of  these  occasions  are  specially  memorable  ; and  it  is 
perfectly  amazing  to  read  the  stern,  unconquerable  resistance  with 
which  this  handful  of  heroic  men,  behind  their  intrenchments,  met 
and  dashed  back  again  that  raging  tide  of  fierce  and  blaspheming 
assailants.  They  would  begin  by  exploding  the  mines  which  they 
had  driven  close  up  to  or  under  the  defenses,  open  with  a fearful 
cannonade,  and  then  swarm  up  to  the  breaches  made.  On  July 
20th  the  fight  lasted  from  9 A.  M.  to  4 P.  M.,  with  the  broiling  sun 
up  to  140  degrees.  At  what  cost  these  repulses  must  have  been 
received  may  be  understood  by  the  fact,  that  the  native  report  of 
the  attempt  to  storm  on  the  10th  of  August  admits  a loss  on  their 
side  of  four  hundred  and  seventy  men  killed  and  wounded  on  that 
day  alone. 

Lady  Inglis,  wife  of  the  Commander,  in  her  journal  of  this  ter- 
rible day,  while  the  poor  ladies  down  in  the  Tyekhana  trembled 
for  the  result,  refers  to  the  soothing  influence  of  prayer,  as  she 
tried  it  there  with  that  excited  and  terrified  crowd  of  women.  The 
effect,  she  says,  was  amazing  ; each  of  them  seemed  to  rise  above 
herself,  and  with  calmness  and  true  courage  they  awaited  the 
result,  realizing  that,  though  the  enemy  was  near,  God  himself  was 
nearer  still,  and  could  preserve  them.  And  he  did  preserve  them. 

It  is  described  as  one  of  the  most  affecting  sights  that  ever  was 
witnessed  in  a scene  of  battle  to  see  how  the  wounded  men  acted 
on  that  day.  Knowing  the  danger,  and  how  their  comrades  were 
pressed,  they  insisted  on  leaving  their  beds  in  the  hospital  and 
being  helped  to  the  front.  The  poor  fellows  came  staggering  along 
to  the  scene  of  action,  trembling  with  weakness  and  pale  as  death, 
some  of  them  bleeding  from  their  wounds,  which  reopened  by  the 
exertions  they  made.  Those  whose  limbs  were  injured  laid  aside 


332 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


their  crutches  and  kneeled  down,  and  fired  as  fast  as  they  could  out 
of  the  loop-holes ; while  others,  who  could  not  do  this  much,  lay  on 
their  backs  on  the  ground  and  loaded  for  those  who  were  firing. 
With  such  endurance  as  this  the  fierce  enemy  was  beaten  back ; 
and  Asiatics  were  taught  how  Christian  soldiers  could  fight  and  die 
when  defending  the  lives  and  honor  of  Christian  women.  The 
storming  over,  the  usual  cannonade  and  musketry  were  resumed  ; 
but  the  garrison  had  become  so  used  to  danger  and  death,  that  by 
this  time  the  balls  would  fall  at  theirtfeet,  or  whiz  past  and  graze 
their  hair,  frequently  without  causing  any  remark  about  their  escapes 
— they  were  so  common,  yet  so  narrow.  The  very  children  began  to 
act  like  soldiers,  playing  the  mimic  “ game  of  war.”  One  urchin  of 
five  years  was  heard  saying  to  another,  “ You  fire  round  shot,  and 
I’ll  return  shell,  from  my  battery.”  Another,  getting  into  a rage 
with  his  playmates,  exclaimed,  “ I hope  you  may  be  shot  by  the 
enemy ! ” Others,  playing  with  grape  instead  of  marbles,  would 
say,  “ That’s  clean  through  his  lungs,”  or,  “ That  wants  more  eleva- 
tion.” These  young  scamps  picked  up  all  the  expressions  of  the 
artillery,  and  made  use  of  them  at  their  games. 

The  peacock  abounds  in  India,  wild  and  “in  all  his  glory.”  On 
the  30th  of  June,  during  a lull  in  the  firing,  one  of  these  magnifi- 
cent birds  flew  near  the  Residency,  perched  on  the  ramparts, 
and  there  quietly  plumed  his  feathers.  The  hungry  men  looked  at 
him  for  awhile,  and  all  felt  what  a welcome  addition  he  .would  be 
to  their  scanty  fare.  They  could  easily  have  shot  him,  but  they 
refrained  ; the  beautiful  creature  seemed  like  an  omen  of  coming 
liberty  and. peace,  and  he  was  allowed  to  remain  unmolested  as 
long  as  he  liked. 

To  insult  the  garrison,  the  Sepoys  would  frequently  send  the 
regimental  bands  to  the  opposite  banks  of  the  river  Goomtee,  and 
have  them  perform  the  popular  English  airs  that  they  used  to 
play  there  for  their  officers  in  other  days.  With  any  thing  but 
pleasant  feelings,  the  garrison  would  have  to  listen  to  “ The 
Standard-Bearer’s  March,”  “The  Girl  I Left  Behind  Me,”  “See, 
the  Conquering  Hero  Comes,”  etc.  The  disloyal  rascals  had  the 


IIAVELOCK'S  OPPORTUNE  ARRIVAL. 


335 


impudence  always  to  finish  the  concert  with  the  loyal  air,  “ God 
Save  the  Queen.” 

We  pause  here  to  consider  what  was  being  done,  meanwhile, 
hundreds  of  miles  away  for  their  relief.  The  English  authorities 
at  Calcutta  had  become  ere  this  fully  aware  of  their  danger,  and 
were  straining  every  nerve  to  send  them  assistance.  But  what 
could  they  do  without  men  ? Delhi  had  not  a soldier  to  spare,  nor 
had  other  points  throughout  the  land  where  a few  English  troops 
were  found.  Relief  must  come  from  without,  until  the  four  tedious 
months  rolled  over  that  would  bring  it  from  England,  twelve  thou- 
sand miles  away. 

It  was  this  terrible  emergency  that  made  the  little  force  from  the 
Persian  Gulf  so  opportune  in  its  arrival  in  June.  Its  saintly  and 
gallant  commander  was  General  Havelock,  whose  portrait  we  here 
present. 

No  account  of  the  Sepoy  Rebellion  would  be  just  or  adequate 
that  would  fail  to  give  him  that  prominence  in  its  overthrow  which 
Almighty  God,  in  his  wonderful  providence,  awarded  him. 

About  a month  after  the  battle  of  Waterloo  Henry  Havelock 
entered  the  English  army  as  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  Rifle  Bri- 
gade. In  1823  he  was  ordered  to  India,  and  it  was  while  on  his  way 
there,  on  board  the  “ General  Kyd,”  and  chiefly  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  Lieutenant  James  Gardner,  that  he  was  led  to  that 
full  surrender  of  his  heart  and  life  to  the  Lord  Jesus  which  he  so 
consistently  sustained  through  the  evil  and  good  report  of  the  fol- 
lowing forty-three  years  of  his  eventful  military  career.  His  con- 
secration to  God  was  so  complete  that  a brother  officer  has  testified 
of  him  that  “ he  invariably  secured  two  hours  in  the  morning  for 
reading  the  Scriptures  and  private  prayer.”  He  did  this  even  when 
campaigning ; so  that  “ if  the  march  began  at  six  o’clock,  he  rose 
at  four ; if  at  four,  he  rose  at  two.”  He  recognized  the  claims  of 
God  upon  his  money  as  well  as  his  time,  and  from  his  conversion 
to  the  close  of  his  career  he  devoted  regularly  one  tenth  of  his 
income  to  the  cause  of  God  ; so  that  he  might  be  truly  described, 
in  the  words  applied  to  the  Centurion  of  the  Italian  band  at  Cesa- 


336 


TEE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


rea,  as  “a  devout  man,  and  one  who  prayed  to  God  alway.”  His 
talents  were  equally  at  the  Lord’s  service,  so  that  he  was  ever 
ready  to  visit  the  sick,  to  hold  a prayer- meeting,  to  address  an 
audience  at  a missionary  or  Bible  meeting,  while  his  efforts  to  lead 
the  men  whom  he  commanded  to  Christ,  and  to  promote  temper- 
ance and  virtue  among  them,  are  well  known  to  have  been  contin- 
ued to  the  last,  and  to  have  been  greatly  owned  of  God. 

Havelock  was  a Baptist  by  profession,  but  he  would  not  be  a 
close  communionist.  He  loved  all  good  men,  and  delighted  to  join 
with  them  in  celebrating  his  Lord’s  death.  In  all  his  public  acts, 
when  he  rose  to  eminence  and  command,  his  dispatches  and  orders 
acknowledged  God,  and  he  delighted  to  ascribe  to  him  the  victories 
that  he  was  enabled  to  achieve.  How  touching  are  these,  especially 
in  his  last  campaign  ! 

His  life  was  one  of  continued  exposure  and  hard  service.  In 
1824  he  fought  under  Sir  Archibald  Campbell  in  Burmah,  where 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  assisting  at  the  liberation  of  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Judson  from  the  Emperor’s  cruel  tyranny.  It  was  then,  in  the 
midst  of  a serious  military  move,  and  when  the  corps  ordered  to 
occupy  a most  important  point  were  found  utterly  incapable,  from 
intoxication,  to  fulfill  their  duty,  that  his  commander-in-chief  paid 
him  and  his  men  that  rough  compliment — “ Call  out  Havelock’s 
saints;  they  are  never  drunk,  and  Havelock  is  always  ready!” 
The  “saints”  and  their  leader  promptly  responded,  the  position 
was  saved,  and  the  enemy  repulsed. 

How  he  was  esteemed  by  his  men,  for  whose  highest  good  he 
labored  so  earnestly,  may  be  seen  in  the  fact  that  when,  in  1836, 
his  house  was  accidentally  burned  with  all  its  contents,  the  men  of 
his  regiment  came  in  a body  to  him,  begging  him  to  allow  each  of 
them  to  devote  one  month’s  pay  to  help  him  to  sustain  the  loss. 
He  gratefully  declined  the  aid  pressed  upon  him,  but  what  a satis- 
faction must  it  have  been  in  showing  the  estimation  in  which  these 
men  held  him.  He  might  well  offset  any  petty  High  Church 
hauteur  which  certain  parses  might  affect  toward  him  because  he 
was  a “ Dissenter,”  with  this  noble  instance  of  the  value  in 


HAVELOCK'S  MILITARY  SERVICES.  3 37 

which  his  character  and  services  were  held  by  those  who  best 
knew  in  what  his  Christianity  consisted. 

If  the  consideration  intimated  had  any  thing  to  do  with  the  fact 
that  he  was  allowed  to  serve  his  country  twenty-three  years  as  a 
subaltern  before  he  was  promoted  to  a captaincy,  the  narrow- 
minded bigots  who  did  him  the  injustice  are  not  to  be  envied  now. 
When  they  shall  have  been  long  forgotten,  the  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ,  whose  advance  they  retarded,  will  be  remembered  and  hon- 
ored by  gallant  men  and  true  women  on  both  Continents. 

In  1838  he  took  part  in  the  invasion  of  Afghanistan,  was  at  the 
storming  of  Ghuznee,  at  the  forcing  of  the  Khoord  Cabool  Pass,  and 
aided  in  the  memorable  defense  of  Jellalabad,  where  he  won  his 
majority,  and  received  the  Cross  of  the  Bath  for  conspicuous 
bravery.  He  took  part  in  the  forcing  of  the  Khyber  Pass,  in  the 
invasion  of  Kohistan,  and  in  the  battle  of  Muherajpore.  He  wrote 
the  military  memoirs  of  some  of  these  great  events,  and  was  Per- 
sian interpreter  to  the  Commander-in-chief.  At  Moodkee,  in  1845, 
he  had  two  horses  shot  under  him,  and  another  at  the  battle  of 
Sabraon  ; became  Military  Secretary  to  the  Commander-in-chief 
and  Colonel ; till  at  length,  after  twenty-six  years  of  hard  service, 
which  bore  heavily  on  a constitution  not  naturally  strong,  he  was 
permitted  to  visit  England  to  recruit  that  energy  which  would  soon 
be  required  in  circumstances  of  greater  emergency  than  he  or  his 
country  had  ever  seen  in  the  East. 

Divine  Providence  had  thus  trained  him  for  the  supreme  duty 
of  his  life.  In  1855  he  was  back  in  India,  appointed  Adjutant- 
General,  and  just  entering  his  sixtieth  year,  and  in  January,  1837, 
was  nominated  in  orders  to  command  the  second  division  of  the 
army  employed  against  Persia,  under  Lieutenant-General  Sir  James 
Outram,  from  whence  he  returned  victorious.  In  the  heart  of 
Persia  we  find  him  writing  to  his  beloved  wife,  (the  daughter  of 
Dr.  Marshman,  the  well-known  missionary :)  “ I have  good  troops 
and  cannon  under  my  command,  but  my  trust  is  in  the  Lord  Jesus, 
my  tried  and  merciful  friend  ! To  him  all  power  is  intrusted  in 
heaven  and  on  earth.”  He  had  to  pass  a fort  here,  his  steamer 


338 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


being  crowded  with  his  Highlanders,  whom  he  made  to  lie  down, 
while,  Farragut-like,  he  took  his  station  on  the  paddle-box,  to  aid 
as  the  emergency  required.  Though  the  bullets  whizzed  all  around 
him  he  was  untouched.  After  the  victory  was  won,  he  writes : 
“ I felt  throughout  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  at  my  side.” 

The  sympathy  of  this  noble  man  with  “the  common  people”  is 
beautifully  illustrated  just  here,  when  we  find  him  engaged  in  writ- 
ing a long  letter  to  a Christian  soldier  then  in  London,  named 
Godfrey,  who  had  formerly  served  under  him,  a letter  from  whom 
found  him  in  Persia. 

But  now  came  the  days  when  we  needed  him  and  his  brave  men, 
and  a merciful  Providence  causes  war  to  cease  in  Mohummera,  and 
returns  him  to  India  on  the  very  day  before  the  Bareilly  massacre. 
He  is  delayed  by  shipwreck,  and  by  having  to  wait  for  his  troops 
at  Calcutta  The  78th  Highlanders,  84th  and  64th  Queens’,  reach 
him  at  last,  and,  as  no  more  can  then  be  spared,  save  a few  Sikhs, 
and  notwithstanding  that  he  must  know  that  he  had  probably  a 
heavier  duty  on  his  hands  than  any  soldier  of  his  race  ever  under- 
took, he  shrinks  not — but  with  the  words  to  his  wife,  “ May  God 
give  me  wisdom  and  strength  to  fulfill  the  expectations  of  the 
Government,  and  restore  tranquillity  in  the  disturbed  provinces,” 
he  sets  out  on  his  last  eventful  campaign,  to  find  a grave  at  its 
close,  but  realizing  all  through  it,  ay,  and  at  the  end  as  well,  that 
“the  Lord  Jesus  was  at  his  side  !” 

With  only  fourteen  hundred  British  bayonets  and  eight  guns, 
united  to  less  than  three  hundred  Sikhs  and  thirty  irregular  cav- 
alry, he  sublimely  writes  in  starting : “ I march  to-morrow  to 
endeavor  to  retake  Cawnpore  and  rescue  Lucknow!”  He  was 
to  do  this  through  a country  swarming  with  Sepoy  troops,  who 
had  been  well  disciplined  and  armed  by  Englishmen,  and  to  do 
it,  too,  at  that  season  of  the  year  when  the  rains  fall  fast  and 
frequently,  and  the  flat  country  is  inundated,  and  the  sun  pours 
down  its  rays  like  fire,  till  the  thermometer  stands  at  one  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  degrees — to  do  it  all  with  a poorly-supplied  com- 
missariat, with  few  tents,  and  little  shelter.  Were  ever  such  results 


THE  VICTORY  AT  FUTTYPORE. 


339 


sought  by  such  means  under  such  circumstances  ? Hut  they  were 
the  best  the  times  admitted,  and  knowing  the  clanger  of  delay  for 
the  precious  lives  at  Cawnpore  and  Lucknow,  he  would  take  them, 
and  trust  Him  for  the  results  who  can  save  by  few  as  by  many. 

At  Futtypore  he  was  confronted  by  thirty-five  hundred  rebels — 
two  regiments  being  cavalry  and  three  infantry — with  twelve  guns. 
His  men  had  just  finished  their  march  under  a broiling  sun  that 
forenoon,  when  the  Sepoys  bore  down  upon  him,  confident  of  an 
easy  triumph.  But  in  four  hours  Havelock  had  his  victory,  with 
eleven  of  the  rebel  guns,  their  ammunition  and  baggage,  as  the 
trophies  of  it  in  his  hands.  In  his  General  Order  he  ascribes  his 
triumph  “ to  the  power  of  the  Enfield  rifle  in  British  hands,  to 
British  pluck,  and  to  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God  on  a most 
righteous  cause — the  cause  of  justice,  humanity,  truth,  and  good 
government  in  India.”  This  conflict  occurred  on  the  12th  of  July 
— the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  as  noticed  by  the 
General.  He  also  notes  that  one  of  the  infantry  regiments  opposed 
to  him  was  the  56th,  the  very  regiment  which  he  himself  led  at  the 
battle  of  Maharajpore  a few  years  previously  ! He  challenged  them 
in  particular,  and  was  exultant  over  their  defeat ; yet  adds  in  his 
letter,  “ But  away  with  vain-glory  ! Thanks  to  Almighty  God,  who 
gave  me  the  victory!”  Such  was  the  man,  and  such  the  heroes 
whom  he  led,  who  were  thus  fighting  their  way  up  to  our  relief 
against  such  fearful  odds. 

It  was  near  Futtypore,  and  about  one  day  before  the  battle,  that 
Joel  met  this  force.  His  party  had  slept  the  night  before  in  Judge 
Tucker’s  house,  as  narrated  in  his  letter.  That  gentleman’s  death 
was  avenged  before  the  General  left  Futtypore.  On  the  day  of 
the  rising  in.  May,  Judge  Tucker  refused  to  desert  his  post,  hoping 
to  preserve  the  peace  by  the  assistance  of  his  subordinate,  Hikrim- 
toolah  Khan,  the  Deputy  Collector.  But,  like  Khan  Bahadar,  this 
man  proved  a cruel  traitor.  He  himself  led  on  the  mob  which  sur- 
rounded the  Judge’s  house.  Hikrimtoolah  proposed  to  try  him. 
but  the  stern  Judge  would  not  surrender.  Sixteen  of  his  assailants 

fell  by  his  hand  ere  this  brave  man  was  overpowered.  At  length 

19 


340 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


Hikrimtoolah  had  him  at  his  disposal,  and,  taking  off  his  hands, 
feet,  and  head,  he  held  them  up  before  the  mob  as  trophies.  All 
this  was  known  ; for  evidence  of  native  Christians,  and  others  who 
fled,  was  taken  on  oath,  and  was  already  on  tile  in  Havelock's 
hands.  Instead  of  keeping  out  of  the  way,  Hikrimtoolah,  with  con- 
summate hypocrisy,  supposing  his  deed  unknown  to  the  General, 
came  out  to  congratulate  Havelock  on  his  victory.  He  was  at  once 
arrested,  the  evidence  of  his  guilt  was  found  to  be  conclusive,  and 
he  was  executed  on  the  spot. 

At  Aong  and  Pandoo  Nuddee  Havelock  was  again  victorious. 
This  latter  action  brought  him  within  a few  miles  of  Cawnpore. 
Intelligence  of  the  defeat  of  his  Sepoy  forces  reached  the  Nana 
Sahib  on  the  night  of  the  15th  of  July,  and  was  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  the  massacre  of  the  ladies,  already  described. 

The  weary  soldiers  were  aroused  by  the  bugle-blast  long  before 
daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  1 6th.  They  had  that  day  to  meet 
the  sternest  resistance  they  had  ever  yet  encountered,  for  the  whole 
force  of  the  Nana  Sahib,  who  commanded  in  person,  lay  between 
them  and  Cawnpore,  where  they  hoped  to  find  alive,  and  still  hold- 
ing out,  the  noble  men  they  were  marching  and  fighting  so  hard 
to  save.  The  foe  was  met  strongly  intrenched  at  Ahirwa,  and  they 
fought  like  furies  for  two  hours  and  twenty  minutes,  with  every 
advantage  in  their  favor.  The  British  charge  that  day  is  described 
by  those  who  witnessed  it  as  one  of  the  most  sublime  illustrations 
of  the  power  of  discipline  that  was  ever  witnessed.  That  little  force 
of  thirteen  hundred  men  moved  up,  steady  and  silent  as  a wall,  to 
conquer  or  to  die,  amid  those  crashing  shells  and  volleys  of  mus- 
ketry ; and  the  heart  of  the  foe  died  within  him,  and  his  fire  became 
hasty  and  ill-directed,  as  the  sheen  of  the  British  bayonets  became 
ominously  distinct,  till,  within  one  hundred  yards,  they  delivered 
their  fire,  and  with  a cheer  dashed  through  their  own  smoke  at 
the  enemy.  Then  each  rebel  thought  only  of  himself.  These 
humbled  Brahmins  dropped  their  weapons,  stripped  off  their  packs, 
and  spurred  and  ran  for  dear  life  back  to  the  city  of  their  hideous 
•crime,  leaving  all  their  guns  in  Havelock’s  hands.  He  lost  one 


TOO  LATE  AFTER  ALL  TO  SAVE  THE  LADIES. 


•34' 


hundred  of  his  small  force  in  this  fierce  contest.  It  is  believed 
that  “ in  no  action  ever  fought  was  the  superior  power  of  arrange- 
ment, moral  force,  personal  daring,  and  physical  strength  of  the 
European  over  the  Asiatic  more  apparent"  than  in  this  case,  for 
the  rebels  fought  hard  and  well,  but  they  had  met  far  more  than 
their  match,  and  were  terribly  beaten.  Thus,  between  the  7th  and 
1 6th  of  July,  Havelock’s  men  had  marched  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  miles,  under  an  Indian  sun,  alternated  with  tropical  rains  ; had 
fought  four  battles,  and  captured  forty-four  guns  ; yet  their  labors 
and  sufferings  were  only  beginning.  Still  their  General  trusted  in 
God,  and  held  that  his  soldiers’  discipline  was  equal  to  their  valor, 
and  he  resolved  to  push  on  and  finish  the  work  that  was  given  them 
to  do. 

The  wounded  are  gathered  and  cared  for,  the  dead  buried,  anti 
the  weary  heroes  lie  down  on  the  soaking  earth  to  rest  and  dream 
of  the  deliverance  they  will  surely  bring  to-morrow  to  their  belea- 
guered friends  in  Cawnpore.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  a crash  that 
shook  the  ground  beneath  awoke  them — Nana  Sahib  had  blown  up 
the  Cawnpore  magazine.  On  the  morning  of  the  17th  the  British 
marched  into  Cawnpore.  A Eurasian  with  whom  I am  well  ac- 
quainted, a Mr.  Shepherd — the  only  living  Christian  in  the  district, 
and  who  escaped  as  by  a miracle — rushed  out  from  his  hiding-place 
and  joined  them  ; he  told  them  all,  and  led  them  to  the  house  of 
blood ! These  men,  who  had  charged  to  the  cannon’s  mouth  on 
the  preceding  day,  sank  down  on  the  ground  and  wept  like  children 
at  this  spectacle  of  crime  and  suffering.  Havelock’s  feelings  of  grief 
were  inexpressible.  Nana  Sahib’s  butcheries  were  evidently  a defi- 
ant challenge  to  a conflict  of  absolute  extermination  on  the  one  side 
or  the  other : none  could  misunderstand  his  purpose. 

Resting  his  weary  and  sorrowful  troops  for  that  day,  on  the  19th 
Havelock  marched  against  Bithoor.  But  Nana  Sahib  had  fled  and 
crossed  the  Ganges,  to  get  between  Havelock  and  Lucknow,  so  as 
at  least  to  delay  his  march  till  the  Sepoys  there  could  have  time  to 
copy  the  hideous  infamy  of  which  he  had  given  them  the  example. 

On  the  20th  General  Neill,  at  Havelock’s  urgent  request,  had 


342 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


joined  him  from  Allahabad  with  every  available  man — only  two 
hundred  and  seventy  of  the  Fusileers  in  all.  Leaving  Neill  at 
Cawnpore  with  a few  soldiers,  Havelock,  strong  in  hope  that  he 
should  yet  be  in  time  to  save  the  Lucknow  garrison,  crossed  the 
Ganges  on  the  21st  with  his  gallant  fifteen  hundred  men,  and 
began  his  first  march  for  their  relief.  He  fought  two  battles  and 
gained  two  victories  at  Onao  and  Busserut  Gunge  in  one  day.  But 
at  this  season  the  rains  deluge  the  whole  face  of  the  country,  which 
is  quite  flat  between  the  two  cities.  There  is  only  one  road  for 
that  forty-three  miles,  and  his  foes,  recruited  from  Lucknow,  were 
swelled  to  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  men,  with  ample  artillery  and 
cavalry.  Havelock  had  lost  many  of  his  officers  and  men.  The 
gallant  Renaud  was  killed  ; Beatson  had  died  of  cholera ; disease 
and  sun-stroke  were  busy  in  his  ranks  ; and  the  great  and  good  man 
was  compelled,  with  a sad  heart,  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he 
must  return  nearer  to  Cawnpore,  and  wait  for  reinforcements,  ere 
he  could  venture  to  resume  his  march.  To  persevere  now  would 
be  certain  destruction.  So  he  returned  to  Munghowur,  sent  his 
sick  and  wounded  to  Cawnpore,  and  corresponded  with  Calcutta 
and  Allahabad,  entreating  for  help. 

All  this  time  he  was  trying  to  communicate  with  Lucknow,  by 
hiring  faithful  natives  to  venture  to  carry  letters  to  the  garrison. 
Three  of  his  missives  did  reach  them — short,  written  in  Greek,  and 
inclosed  in  a quill,  which  the  messenger  could  conceal  in  his  mouth 
when  liable  to  be  searched  by  the  rebel  police  and  others.  He  had 
the  satisfaction  of  receiving  two  replies  from  them,  telling  him  of 
their  condition  and  how  they  looked  for  his  arrival.  They  little 
imagined  with  how  small  a force,  and  under  what  disadvantages,  he 
was  trying  to  reach  them,  for  he  made  light  of  his  obstacles,  and 
wrote  cheerfully  of  his  hopes. 

Neill  sent  out  to  him  every  available  soldier  that  could  then  be 
obtained  ; and  with  fourteen  hundred  healthy  men  Havelock  com- 
menced his  second  march  to  relieve  Lucknow  on  the  4th  of  August. 
The  enemy  had  taken  up  a strong  position  on  their  old  ground,  at 
Busserut  Gunge.  The  Sepoys,  in  great  force  and  well  posted,  hid  the 


UAVELOCK  UNABLE  TO  ADVANCE.  343 

town  for  their  second  line  of  defense.  The  country  on  either  side 
of  the  road  was  little  better  than  a lake  ; so,  as  it  was  impossible  for 
Havelock  to  turn  the  position,  he  had  to  advance  along  the  road 
which  they  so  completely  commanded,  to  drive  them  from  their 
position.  But  he  did  this,  and  gained  the  town,  and  drove  the 
rebels  through  and  beyond  it.  He  had  only  a handful  of  cavalry  to 
follow  up  his  advantage.  This  was  his  seventh  victory. 

But  now  appeared  an  invisible  foe  whom  he  could  not  conquer. 
The  terrible  Asiatic  cholera  broke  out  among  his  men,  and  he  was 
in  the  field,  exposed  to  the  elements,  and  surrounded  by  swamps 
and  malaria.  He  had,  therefore,  to  retreat  again,  not  from  the  face 
of  man,  but  from  the  fearful  pestilence.  He  retired  upon  Mung- 
howur,  which  was  on  rising  ground,  and  here  he  wrote  one  of  his 
last  letters  to  Mrs.  Havelock,  evidently  fully  conscious  of  the  emer- 
gencies of  his  position,  and  says : “ I have  every-where  beaten  my 
foes,  but  things  are  in  a most  perilous  state.  If  we  succeed  in 
restoring  any  thing,  it  will  be  by  God’s  especial  and  extraordinary 
mercy.  I must  now  write  as  one  whom  you  may  see  no  more,  for 
the  chances  of  war  are  heavy  at  this  crisis.  Thank  God  for  my 
hope  in  the  Saviour ! We  shall  meet  in  heaven.” 

What  the  Duke  of  Wellington  said  of  a soldier  whom  he  saw 
turn  pale  as  he  looked  at  the  fearful  breach  which  he  was  mount- 
ing up  to  storm — “ There  is  a brave  man  ; he  sees  his  danger,  and 
yet  he  faces  it  ” — might  with  every  propriety  be  said  of  this  warrior 
and  his  men.  They  were  fully  sensible  of  their  risks,  and  yet  they 
gallantly  faced  them.  What  would  four  or  five  thousand  men  have 
been  to  Havelock  then  ! But  help  was  far  away.  A few  hundreds 
were  struggling  up  to  him  from  Calcutta,  but  the  forces  he  needed 
were  tossing-  on  the  billows  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  while 
twenty  thousand  Sepoys,  well  provisioned,  and  in  splendid  condi- 
tion, lay  extended  across  the  road  by  which  he  wanted  to  march  to 
the  relief  of  the  beleaguered  garrison  in  the  Residency.  He  had 
lost  one  hundred  and  forty  men  out  of  a thousand,  and  was  but  ten 
miles  on  his  road  to  Lucknow.  He  evidently  had  no  alternative 
but  to  go  back  to  Cawnpore  and  wait  for  help.  On  the  thirteenth 


344 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


he  recrossed  the  Ganges,  and  here  the  additional  danger  of  his 
position  broke  upon  him.  Nana  Sahib  had  recrossed  the  river 
before  him  and  was  threatening  Cawnpore,  and  also  his  communi- 
cations with  Allahabad,  while  Neill  and  his  little  force  were  on  the 
brink  of  destruction.  He  soon  retrieved  the  state  of  affairs,  fight- 
ing  another  well-contested  battle,  and  scattering  the  rebel  hosts  to 
the  winds. 

Himself  and  men  were  now  doomed  to  a brief  term  of  enforced 
rest,  which  they  greatly  needed  ere  they  entered  upon  their  last 
great  struggle.  On  the  15th  of  September  came  some  of  the  help 
for  which  he  had  so  longed,  for  Lieutenant-General  Sir  James 
Outram,  with  two  thousand  men,  reached  Cawnpore  that  day. 
General  Outram  could,  in  view  of  his  superior  rank,  have  at  once 
assumed  command  ; but,  with  a magnanimity  as  rare  as  it  was 
generous,  he  waived  his  right,  that  he  might  gratify  and  honor  the 
noble  man  whose  devotion  and  gallantry  he  so  highly  appreciated. 
He  therefore  issued  his  divisional  order  on  the  night  of  the  1 6th, 
saying,  “ The  important  duty  of  first  relieving  Lucknow  has  been 
intrusted  to  Major-General  Havelock,  and  General  Outram  feels 
that  it  is  due  to  this  distinguished  officer,  and  the  strenuous  and 
noble  exertions  which  he  has  already  made  to  effect  that  object, 
that  to  him  should  accrue  the  honor  of  the  achievement.  General 
Outram  is  confident  that  the  great  end  for  which  General  Have- 
lock and  his  brave  troops  have  so  long  and  gloriously  fought  will 
now,  under  the  blessing  of  Providence,  be  accomplished.  The 
General,  therefore,  in  gratitude  for,  and  admiration  of,  the  bril- 
liant deeds  in  arms  achieved  by  General  Havelock  and  his  gal- 
lant troops,  will  cheerfully  waive  his  rank  on  the  occasion,  and  will 
accompany  the  force  to  Lucknow  in  his  civil  capacity  as  Chief 
Commissioner  of  Oude,  tendering  his  military  services  to  General 
Havelock  as  a volunteer.” 

Havelock  gratefully  and  publicly  acknowledged  this  generous 
and  noble  conduct  of  his  chief,  and,  with  renewed  hope,  prepared 
for  the  great  task  before  him.  The  first  letter  of  Havelock’s  that 
the  garrison  in  the  Residency  received  was  on  the  24th  of  July, 


REINFORCED  AND  ON  1IIS  WAT  AGAIN 


345 


promising,  as  the  writer  fondly  hoped,  relief  in  a few  days  ; but  it 
was  not  till  the  29th  of  August  that  they  understood  the  reasons 
of  his  delay,  and  now,  nearly  a month  later  still,  he  was  at  length 
to  inform  them  in  person  what  he  had  endured  in  order  to  reach 
them,  and  why  he  could  not  do  so  at  an  earlier  day. 

On  the  20th  of  September  Havelock  again  crossed  the  Ganges 
with  3,179  men,  composed  of  the  78th  and  91st  Highlanders,  the 
64th  and  84th,  and  the  1st  and  5th  Fusileers,  a regiment  of 
Sikhs,  and  168  volunteer  cavalry.  No  greater  work  was  ever 
accomplished  by  military  skill  and  daring  than  the  relief  of  the 
Lucknow  garrison  by  this  handful  of  men. 

The  faithful  native  messenger,  Ungud,  again  reached  his  camp, 
and  was  at  once  dispatched  to  give  the  final  assurance  to  the  gar- 
rison that  he  was  at  last  really  coming,  and  that,  God  helping  him, 
they  should  be  relieved  within  three  or  four  days.  This  glad  news 
reached  them  on  the  22d  of  September,  and  raised  the  drooping 
spirits  of  all.  How  fervently  they  prayed,  and  how  anxiously  they 
watched,  during  the  three  following  days,  trembling  to  think  how 
many  precious  lives  of  their  approaching  friends  would  have  to  be 
sacrificed  in  order  to  rescue  them  ! 

General  Havelock  had  to  fight  two  battles  more  between  Cawn- 
pore  and  Lucknow,  but  these  he  fought  and  won.  Within  five 
miles  of  the  city  they  could  hear  the  artillery  booming  around  the 
Residency  of  Lucknow,  and  the  General  ordered  a royal  salute  to 
be  fired  from  his  heaviest  guns,  in  the  hope  that  his  beleaguered 
friends  might  hear  the  report  and  understand  its  import — that 
deliverance  was  drawing  nigh. 

Their  beaten  foes  fell  back  on  their  strong  city,  about  two  miles 
of  which  Havelock’s  men  must  fight  their  way  through,  ere  they 
could  reach  the  Residency.  Every  inch  of  ground  was  disputed  ; 
palisades  and  barricades  had  to  be  taken  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
The  flat-roofed  houses  had  been  furnished  with  mud-walls  on  the 
top,  on  the  street  side,  pierced  for  musketry,  where  the  Sepoys 
could  fire  on  the  men  in  the  narrow  streets  without  exposing  their 
own  persons,  thus  doing  dreadful  execution.  No  words  can  do 


346 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


justice  to  that  march  of  fire  and  death.  “ Broad,  deep  trenches 
had  been  cut  across  the  road,  fitted  with  ever-y  kind  of  obstruction. 
Each  inch  of  the  way  was  covered  point-blank  by  unseen  marks- 
men ; at  every  turn  heavy  artillery  belched  forth  its  fiery  breath 
of  grape  and  canister.  Above,  below,  on  all  sides,  crowds  of 
human  tigers  glared  from  housetop  and  loop-holed  casement  upon 
the  intrepid  band,  while,  as  they  turned  the  corners  which  open 
upon  the  squares  of  the  palace,  surrounded  by  high  walls,  they 
had  to  encounter  from  many  thousand  rifles  an  iron  hurricane  of 
destruction  and  death.”  A bullet  here  strikes  General  Neill,  and 
he  fa^ls  to  rise  no  more.  But  the  brave  men  and,  their  gallant 
leaders  move  steadily  on,  capturing  guns  and  positions,  till  they 
reach  the  Kaiser  Bagh — the  King’s  Palace  Garden — which  they 
also  capture.  And  here  they  try  to  collect  and  secure  their 
wounded,  and  rest  for  the  night,  for  they  can  go  no  farther.  Alas  ! 
many  of  their  wounded,  about  whom  they  are  so  anxious,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  cruel  enemy,  the  fate  of  some  of  whom  was  dread- 
ful. They  were  collected  early  in  the  night  by  these  barbarians 
into  one  of  the  squares,  and  were  there  actually  burned  to  death 
in  the  doolies,  or  hospital  litters,  in  which  they  lay. 

Early  the  next  day  the  troops  resumed  their  terrible  task.  A long 
reach  of  the  city  still  separated  them  from  the  Residency.  Strong 
positions  and  lengthy  streets  must  be  won  ere  they  are  heard  or 
seen  by  their  anxious  friends  there.  The  distance  has  often  been 
walked. over  in  twenty  minutes  by  the  writer,  but  it  took  these 
brave  men  more  than  twelve  hours  of  the  fiercest  fighting  to 
accomplish  it  that  day.  This  was  the  25th  of  September.  One 
of  the  staff  thus  describes  what  followed:  “About  eleven  o’clock 
A.  M.  the  people  in  the  Residency  could  distinctly  perceive  an 
(increased  agitation  in  the  center  of  the  city,  with  the  sound  of 
musketry  and  the  smoke  of  guns.  All  the  garrison  was  upon  the 
alert,  and  the  excitement  among  many  of  the  officers  and  soldiers 
was  quite  painful  to  witness.  About  half  past  one  P.  M.  they 
could  see  many  of  the  people  of  the  city  leaving  it  on  the  north 
side  across  the  bridges,  with  bundles  of  clothes,  etc.,  on  their  heads. 


The  Relief  of  Lucknow  by  Gen.  Havelock. 


THE  RESIDENCY  REACHED. 


349 


Still  their  deliverers  were  not  yet  visible.  At  four  P.  M.  a report 
spread  that  some  of  them  could  be  seen,  but  for  a full  hour  later 
nothing  definite  could  be  made  out.  At  five  o’clock  volleys  of 
musketry,  rapidly  growing  louder  and  nearer,  were  heard,  and  soon 
the  peculiar  ring  of  a Minie  ball  over  their  heads  told  them  their 
friends  could  be  only  a gun-shot  from  them  now.  They  could  see 
the  Sepoys  firing  heavily  on  them  from  the  tops  of  the  houses,  but 
the  .smoke  concealed  them.  Five  minutes  later  and  the  English 
troops  emerged  where  they  could  actually  be  seen,  fighting  their 
way  up  the  street,  and  though  some  fell  at  every  step,  yet  nothing 
could  withstand  the  headlong  gallantry  of  the  men.  The  78th 
Highlanders  were  in  front,  led  in  person  by  General  Havelock. 
Once  fairly  seen , all  doubts  and  fears  regarding  them  were  ended, 
and  then  the  garrison’s  long  pent-up  feeling  of  anxiety  and  sus- 
pense burst  forth  in  a succession  of  deafening  cheers.  From  every 
pit,  trench,  and  battery — from  behind  the  sand-bags  piled  on  shat- 
tered houses — from  every  post  still  held  by  a few  gallant  spirits — 
rpse  cheer  on  cheer,  even  from  the  hospital.  Many  of  the  wounded 
crawled  forth  to  join  in  the  glad  shout  of  welcome  to  those  who 
had  so  bravely  come  to  their  assistance.  It  was  a moment  never 
to  be  forgotten.” 

The  shouting  made  the  ladies  rush  out  from  the  Tyekanahs,  just 
in  time  to  witness  the  Highlanders  and  Havelock,  having  borne 
down  all  before  them,  reach  the  Residency.  The  enthusiasm 
with  which  they  were  greeted  baffles  all  description — tears,  hur- 
rahs, every  evidence  of  relief  and  joy,  as  they  welcomed  Havelock 
and  the  gallant  men  who  had  come  in  time  to  save  them.  Our 
picture  but  feebly  depicts  this  thrilling  scene,  yet  the  heart  of 
every  humane  person  will  easily  imagine  all  that  pen  or  pencil  fails 
to  portray.  • 

Soon  the  whole  place  was  filled,  the  Highlanders  shaking  hands 
frantically  with  every  body,  and  then  these  great,  big,  rough- 
bearded  men,  black  with  powder  and  mud,  seized  the  little  chil- 
dren out  of  the  ladies’  arms,  and  were  kissing  them,  and  passing 
them  from  one  to  another,  with  tears  rolling  down  their  cheeks, 


' 350 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


thanking  God  that  they  had  come  in  time  to  save  them  from  the 
fate  of  those  at  Cawnpore. 

For  eighty-seven  days  the  Lucknow  garrison  had  lived  in  utter 
ignorance  of  all  that  had  taken  place  outside.  Wives,  who  had 
long  mourned  their  husbands  as  dead,  were  now  suddenly  restored 
to  them — some  of  them  had  come  as  volunteer  cavalry  with  Have- 
lock— and  others,  looking  fondly  forward  to  glad  meetings  with 
those  near  and  dear  to  them,  now  for  the  first  time  learned  that 
they  were  alone  in  the  world.  On  all  sides  eager  inquiries  for 
relations  and  friends  were  made.  Alas  ! in  too  many  instances 
the  answer  was  a painful  one.  Sleep  was  out  of  the  question,  and 
the  morning  dawned  upon  the  inquirers  still  asking  for  more 
information. 

It  is  excusable  that  you  find  them  recording  now,  amid  this  joy 
of  their  rescue,  as  they  realized  the  success  of  their  protracted 
struggle,  the  proud  consciousness  of  the  defense  that  they  had 
made  against  such  fearful  odds,  in  preserving  not  only  their  own 
lives,  but  the  honor  and  lives  of  the  ladies  and  children  intrusted 
to  their  keeping.  Now  they  learned  at  last  that  they  had  not  been 
forgotten.  They  were  told  what  sympathy  their  fearful  position 
had  awakened  in  all  noble  hearts  in  England  and  America,  and 
throughout  the  civilized  world.  The  general  order  issued  next  day, 
in  eloquent  and  beautiful  terms,  gave  them  official  assurance  of  all 
this. 

“ Havelock’s  hundred  days  ” were  ended  in  success,  and  that 
brave  heart  glowed  with  gratitude  for  the  wonderful  mercy  that 
had  helped  him  thus  to  struggle  on  to  the  end  through  the  terrible 
tide  of  battle,  disease,  and  death,  to  insure  their  safety.  Now  that 
it  was  accomplished,  he  acknowledged  the  divine  help  in  the  words 
of  the  Hebrew  warrior:  “Not  unto  us,  O Lord,  not  un^o  us,  but 
unto  thy  name  give  glory.” 

His  gallant  friend  General  Outram  here  assumed  command, 
and  in  his  dispatch  he  refers  specially  to  a fact  which  shows  that 
a delay  of  forty-eight  hours  more  might  have  involved  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  in  the  Residency.  He  writes  : “ We  found  that  they 


TILE  LADIES  SAVED. 


3Si 


(the  Sepoys)  had  completed  six  mines  in  the  most  artistic  manner 
— one  of  them  from  a distance  of  two  hundred  feet  under  our  prin- 
cipal defensive  works,  which  were  ready  for  loading,  and  the  firing 
of  which  must  have  placed  the  garrison  entirely  at  their  mercy. 
The  delay  of  another  day,  therefore,  might  have  sealed  their  fate.” 
So  near,  apparently,  did  they  come  to  being  made  another 
“ Cawnpore.” 

The  few  native  troops  that  had  nobly  and  faithfully  stood  by 
them  were  well  honored  and  rewarded.  Ungud,  their  valiant  mes- 
senger, received  five  hundred  rupees  for  each  letter  he  carried, 
quite  a fortune  for  the  worthy  native.  The  spirit  of  these  brave 
Sepoys,  who  had  so  long  resisted  unto  blood,  “ faithful  among  the 
faithless,”  may  be  illustrated  by  a sad  but  touching  incident,  re- 
lated by  Mr.  Rees,  and  which  occurred  at  the  entrance  of  the  78th 
Highlanders  on  the  day  of  the  relief.  Coming  with  a rush  on  the 
Bailey  Guard  outposts,  defended  by  the  faithful  Sepoys,  and  not 
knowing  it  to  be  within  the  Residency  inclosure,  or  that  these 
Sepoys  were  faithful,  the  Highlanders  stormed  it,  and  bayoneted 
three  of  the  men,  whom  they  mistook  for  rebels.  The  men  never 
resisted,  and  when  explanations  ensued,  and  regret  was  expressed, 
one  of  them  waved  his  hand,  and  crying,  “ Kootch  purwanni — 
Never  mind — it  is  all  for  the  good  cause  ; welcome,  friends!”  he 
fell  and  expired. 

General  Havelock  was  too  weak  in  men  to  attempt  to  bring  out 
the  garrison  ; he  had  to  remain  shut  up  with  them  till  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief, Sir  Colin  Campbell,  came  to  their  assistance  on 
the  22d  of  November.  The  Sepoys  still  kept  up  their  cannonade, 
but  at  a more  respectful  distance,  and  the  ladies  no  longer  feared 
either  storm  or  capture.  But  Havelock’s  vigor  was  now  unmistak- 
ably on  the  wane.  Symptoms  of  serious  illness  were  developing. 
By  the  effort  of  a strong  will  he  tried  to  think  lightly  of  them,  and 
was  still  actively  engaged  day  and  night  ; but  a “ reduced  ration 
of  artillery  bullock  beef,  chuppaties  and  rice  ’’  was  poor  nourish- 
ment for  an  invalid  who  had  not  even  a change  of  clothing  for  the 
following  forty  days,  the  baggage  being  four  miles  off  at  the 


352 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Alumbagh.  Bread,  tea,  coffee,  sugar,  soap,  and  all  such  articles, 
were  then  unknown  luxuries  there.  The  wretches  outside  still 
sustained  their  incessant  din  of  shells  and  bullets,  and  raged  in 
tens  of  thousands  in  the  streets  and  occupied  the  buildings  which 
all  around  commanded  the  Residency.  They  were  as  resolved  as 
ever  to  destroy  the  garrison,  while  they  must  have  been  well  aware 
that  it  could  never  escape  from  that  position  unless  relieved  by  a 
powerful  English  army. 

But  that  army,  though  not  large  in  numbers,  was  now  on  its 
way.  Sir  Colin  Campbell  had  landed  at  Calcutta,  and  with  the 
first  five  thousand  men  that  arrived  he  started  for  Lucknow. 

On  the  1 6th  of  November  Sir  Colin  approached  the  city. 
Avoiding  the  crowded  and  barricaded  streets,  he  took  a course 
around  by  the  Royal  Park  on  the  east,  and,  being  on  rising  ground, 
his  force,  as  they  fought  the  enemy,  could  be  seen  from  the  Resi- 
dency. They  were  sternly  resisted  the  whole  day.  The  garrison 
eagerly  watched  the  conflict.  One  person  was  most  conspicuous  ; 
he  was  mounted  on  a white  horse,  and  seemed  to  be  every- 
where. They  all  felt  very  anxious  for  this  person,  for  they  guessed, 
and  rightly  too,  that  he  was  the  Commander-in-chief.  He  ad- 
vanced upon  the  Residency  by  the  Dilkoosha  and  Martiniere  and 
the  line  of  palaces  ; but  it  required  three  days  of  fighting  for  him 
to  accomplish  his  purpose.  How  fierce  that  fighting  was  may  be 
imagined  from  a single  item  in  the  Commander-in-chief’s  dis- 
patch, wherein  he  says  that  within  the  limits  of  a single  building, 
the  Secunderbagh,  and  its  garden,  the  bodies  of  two  thousand 
Sepoys  were  counted. 

As  soon  as  they  left  the  Park  and  entered  the  city  they  were  of 
course  hidden  from  view,  and  terrible  was  the  anxiety  within  the 
Residency  for  their  success,  and  even  their  fate,  as  hour  after  hour 
went  over,  and  the  second,  and  even  the  third,  day  came  and  yet 
they  could  not  see  them.  Nothing  was  known  of  them  but  the 
noise  of  the  firing,  the  shouting,  and  the  smoke  of  battle  ; still 
they  felt  that  they  must  be  coming  nearer  to  them,  for  these 
sounds  gradually  became  more  distinct.  This  was  the  moment 


MEETING  OF  CAMPBELL , OUT  RAM,  AND  HAVELOCK.  353 

chosen  for  that  imposition  upon  the  sympathies  of  the  world,  the 
story  of  “ Jessie  Brown"  and  her  “ Dinna  ye  hear  the  slogan  ?” 
The  heroine,  and  the  incident  are  alike  fictitious  ; but  what  a wide 
currency  the  story  obtained  ! Martin  ascertained  that  it  was 
originally  a little  romance,  written  by  a French  governess  for  the 
use  of  her  pupils, which  found  its  way  into  the  Paris  papers,  thence 
to  the  Jersey  Times,  thence  to  the  London  Times,  (December  12, 
1857,)  and  afterward  appeared  in  many  of  the  English  and  Ameri- 
can papers,  and  is  to  this  day  quoted  as  authentic.  Yet  the  inci- 
dent had  some  foundation  in  fact,  though  not  in  the  form  in  which 
the  poet  has  presented  it.  The  bagpipes  were  heard  certainly, 
but  not  till  the  Highlander  who  played  them  had  got  into  the 
Residency  ; he  was  in  among  the  first.  The  inspiration  of  the 
welcome  set  him  going.  As  each  party  of  the  brave  deliverers 
poured  in  they  were  greeted  with  loud  hurrahs,  which  each  gar- 
rison in  the  intrenchments  would  catch  up,  and  so  the  cheers  ran 
the  rounds,  and  rose  One  wondrous  shout  to  heaven.  He  who  bore 
the  bagpipes  worked  his  way  into  this  exulting  mass  of  men, 
women,  and  children,  and  as  he  strode  up  and  down  and  around 
the  Residency  he  gave  forth  pasns  of  triumph  in  the  shrill  and 
joyous  notes  of  his  instrument,  adding,  of  course,  to  the  enthu- 
siasm, and  calling  forth  ardent  repetitions  of  the  wild  delight  of 
the  occasion.  Music  never  did  more  for  the  anxious  human  heart 
than  was  effected  in  that  hour  by  those  simple  bagpipes.  The 
sorrowful  sighing  of  these  prisoners  of  hope  was  suddenly  turned 
into  the  joyous  sense  of  deliverance  ; and  it  was  fitting  that  Scot- 
land’s music  should  first  thrill  those  hearts  that  Scotland’s  sons 
had  been  foremost  to  save. 

On  the  evening  of  the  17th  the  army  of  the  Commander-in-chief 
had  fought  their  way  near  enough  for  the  garrison  to  co-operate 
with  his  fire  and  attempt  a junction.  Notwithstanding  the  balls 
were  still  flying,  Havelock  and  Outram  rode  forth  to  meet  their 
deliverer.  And  what  a meeting  was  that ! The  Scottish  Chief, 
Sir  Colin,  grim  with  the  smoke  and  dust  of  battle,  “ the  good  Sir 
James,”  as  Outram  was  called,  and  the  dying  Havelock,  with  their 


354 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


respective  staffs  around  them,  met  opposite  the  king’s  palace  gate, 
about  four  hundred  yards  in  front  of  the  battered  Residency,  and 
there  stood,  hand  grasped  in  hand,  amid  the  roar  of  the  cannon 
and  the  loud,  glad  cheers  of  their  troops ! Mansfield  was  there, 
and  Hope  Grant,  and  gallant  Peel,  with  Norman,  Ewart,  Great- 
hed,  Sir  David  Baird,  Adrian  Hope,  Gough,  the  Allisons,  and 
scores  of  others,  who  had  fought  and  suffered  bravely  to  see 
that  hour.  All  were  in  a tumult  of  joyous  excitement.  En- 
gland has  tried  to  do  justice  to  that  great  meeting  by  a magnif- 
icent picture  of  the  scene.  But  how  significant  of  their  toils  and 
dangers  is  the  reflection  that  of  the  names  I have  mentioned  all  but 
about  two  of  this  group  of  Christian  knights  are  in  their  graves 
to-day!  Campbell  and  Outram  rest  in  Westminster  Abbey,  Have- 
lock lies  in  the  lonely  Alumbagh,  (he  ought  to  sleep  with  his 
illustrious  comrades,)  and  half  the  others  repose  beneath  India’s 
soil,  on  subsequent  battle-fields,  which  had  to  be  fought  ere  com- 
plete peace  was  conquered. 

The  relief  of  the  Residency  was  at  once  followed  by  its  evacua- 

♦ 

tion.  The  women  and  children  required  to  be  promptly  removed 
from  danger  to  a place  of  safety  ; and,  as  this  must  be  accomplished 
without  risk  to  any  of  them,  the  intention  had  to  be  entirely  dis- 
guised from  the  enemy,  fifty  thousand  strong  around  them.  The 
Commander-in-chief  considerately  intrusted  the  arrangement  of  this 
honorable  duty  to  General  Havelock ; it  was  the  last  service  he 
would  ever  render,  and  most  efficiently  was  it  performed.  The 
whole  force  was  admirably  handled,  the  fire  of  the  Residency 
being  sustained,  and  even  their  lights  left  burning  till  sunrise. 
At  midnight  of  the  22d  all  was  ready,  and  along  a narrow,  tortuous 
lane,  (the  only  possible  path,)  protected  on  both  sides  by  the  out- 
posts, which,  as  the  last  of  the  column  passed,  were  quietly  with- 
drawn, “ the  pickets  fell  back  through  the  supports  ; the  supports 
glided  away  through  the  intervals  of  the  reserve  ; the  reserve,  in- 
cluding the  Commander-in-chief,  silently  defiled  into  the  lane ; 
while  the  enemy,  seeing  the  lights  and  fires  burning,  thought  the 
Residency  still  occupied,  and  kept  up  on  the  south  and  west  sides 


HAVELOCK  DYING. 


355 


their  usually  desultory  night-firing.”  Not  a single  mishap  occurred, 
and,  to  the  delight  of  their  deliverers,  not  one  soul  that  had  left  the 
Residency  that  dark  night  was  missing,  as  the  garrison,  with  the 
four  hundred  and  seventy-nine  ladies  and  children,  found  them- 
selves at  sunrise  on  the  morning  of  the  23d  safe  in  the  center  of 
the  whole  English  force,  camped  in  the  Dilkoosha  Park,  while  the 
Residency,  five  miles  away,  the  prison  of  their  long  agony,  could  be 
seen  in  the  distance,  swarming  all  over  with  the  enraged  Sepoys, 
who  had  just  discovered,  with  the  daylight,  how  completely  they 
had  been  out-generaled  ! 

The  fresh  air  and  green  fields,  the  bread,  butter,  and  milk,  and 
clean  table-cloths,  and  other  comforts,  which  for  many  months  they 
had  not  seen  or  tasted,  are  described  as  almost  bewildering  to  the 
poor  ladies  and  children,  while  the  grateful  hearts  and  tearful  eyes 
of  the  officers  who  waited  upon  them  so  tenderly  was  a homage  to 
their  worth  and  sufferings  which  must  have  been  very  cheering  to 
them.  They  were  safe  and  well  protected  now. 

But,  in  a tent  near  by,  the  noble  man  who  had  so  uncomplain- 
ingly endured  more  than  his  enfeebled  health  could  bear,  was  sink- 
ing, now  that  his  great  work  for  them  was  done.  He  had  been 
helped  off  his  horse  and  laid  in  a dooley.  General  Havelock  was 
seriously  unwell.  His  gallant  son,  with  one  wounded  arm  hung  in 
a sling,  was  sitting  by  his  cot,  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures  and 
praying  with  his  father.  He  was  full  of  gratitude  for  the  rescue  so 
gloriously  accomplished,  and  had  accepted  with  becoming  modesty 
the  marked  attention  paid  to  him  on  all  sides.  He  had  also  just 
heard  of  the  gratitude  of  his  country,  the  thanks  of  his  Queen,  for 
his  noble  services,  and  the  fact  that  she  had  made  him  a Baronet, 
with  a pension  of  jQ  1,000  per  year.  But  he  had  higher  honor  and 
reward  than  this  awaiting  him,  and  in  a few  hours  was  to  pass  away 
to  its  enjoyment.  His  disease  was  dysentery,  which  had  been  for 
several  days  aggravated  by  the  “ bread  want,”  so  severely  felt  at 
the  Residency.  Every  thing  that  medical  science  and  human  sym- 
pathy could  effect  was  now  done,  but  all  in  vain ; there  was  no 
remnant  of  strength  to  fall  back  upon,  and  the  complaint  had 


356 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


assumed  its  malignant  form.  He  realized  that  his  hour  had  come, 
and  his  work  was  done,  and  that  now  he  had  nothing  more  to  do 
but  to  die.  For  that,  too,  he  was  ready.  “The  Resurrection  and 
the  Life”  was  beside  him  in  that  little  tent,  ready  to  pass  with  him 
through  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death.  He  feared  no  evil.  Mes- 
sages to  his  dear  ones  were  delivered,  and  his  last  thoughts  were 
given  to  the  Redeemer,  whom  he  had  served  and  loved  so  long. 
He  would  say,  and  repeat  it,  “ I die  happy  and  contented!”  To 
his  eldest  son,  who  waited  upon  him  with  such  tenderness  and 
loving  attention,  (though  himself  a wounded  man  and  needing 
care,)  he  exclaimed,  “ My  son,  see  how  a Christian  can  die !” 

General  Outram,  his  illustrious  comrade,  asked  to  be  permitted 
to  see  him.  They  had  confronted  danger  together  on  many  a hard- 
fought  field,  and  death  in  all  its  reality  was  to  be  faced  now.  The 
Christian  warrior  looked  up  into  the  kindly,  sympathetic  counte- 
nance of  his  visitor,  and  said  to  him,  “Sir  James,  for  more  than 
forty  years  I have  so  ruled  my  life  that  when  death  came  I might 
face  it  without  fear.”  Then  pausing,  as  he  realized  that  death  had 
come,  he  added  : “ So  be  it.  I am  not  in  the  least  afraid.  To  die 
is  gain  /” 

On  the  evening  of  the  24th  he  “departed  to  be  with  Christ,” 
realizing  the  literal  truthfulness  of  the  favorite  lines, 

“ My  body  with  my  charge  lay  down, 

And  cease  at  once  to  work  and  live.” 

He  was  buried  amid  the  tears  of  those  he  saved,  and  his  compan- 
ions in  arms,  on  the  following  day,  in  the  Alumbagh,  five  miles  on 
the  Cawnpore  side  of  Lucknow. 

“There  rest  thee,  Christian  warrior,  rest  from  the  twofold  strife: 

The  battle-field  of  India,  the  battle-field  of  life  ! 
******* 

Victorious  first  at  Futtypore,  victorious  at  Lucknow, 

The  gallant  chief  of  gallant  men  is  more  than  conqueror  now.” 

We  cannot  conclude  without  referring  to  the  loss  of  the  garrison 
and  the  cost  of  their  rescue.  Of  the  1,692  fighting  men  in  the 
Residency  on  the  29th  of  June,  the  loss  was  713 — including  49 


RECEPTION  OF  THE  LADIES  AT  ALLAIIADAD.  357 


officers — when  they  were  finally  relieved.  To  these  are  to  be  added 
19  ladies  and  53  children  killed,  besides  those  wounded.  Of  General 
Havelock’s  force  of  3,179  men,  the  total  killed  and  wounded,  besides 
76  officers,  was  966,  nearly  a third  of  his  force.  The  Commander- 
in-chief  had  45  officers  and  536  men  killed  and  wounded  ; so  that 
the  total  casualties  to  rescue  the  Lucknow  garrison  amount  to  1 2 1 
officers  and  1,490  men.  Adding  the  loss  of  the  garrison,  the  entire 
number  of  killed  and  wounded  was  170  officers,  and  2,203  men. 

The  ladies  and  children  were  safely  escorted  to  Cawnpore,  and 
thence  to  Allahabad.  Word  had  been  telegraphed  in  advance  of 
their  coming,  and  the  whole  city  seemed  to  turn  out  and  welcome 
them.  Government  officials,  troops,  natives,  every  body  wanted  to 
see  and  greet  the  ladies  of  the  Lucknow  garrison,  for  whose  safety 
they  had  so  long  trembled. 

At  length  the  train  rolled  into  the  station,  and  the  thundering 
cheers  that  greeted  them,  and  were  over  and  over  again  repeated, 
was  a welcome  that  few  have  ever  received.  They  stepped  out  of 
the  carriages,  and  the  haggard,  pale  faces  of  many  of  them,  with  their 
evidence  of  suffering  and  their  scanty  raiment,  all  told  a tale  that 
brought  the  tears  to  many  an  eye.  As  the  last  of  these  brave 
women  passed  out  of  the  station,  and  the  sympathizing  crowd  dried 
their  tears  and  looked  after  them,  their  pent-up  feelings  found 
expression  in  response  to  an  English  soldier,  who  was  holding  on 
to  a lamp-post,  as,  flinging  his  cap  into  the  air,  he  sung  out  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  “ One  cheer  more  for  our  women,  boys  !”  On  the 
following  day  they  went  in  a body  to  the  church  in  Allahabad,  and 
there  returned  thanks  publicly  to  Almighty  God  for  their  most 

merciful  preservation  and  rescue. 

20 


358 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  CAUSES  AND  FAILURE  OF  THE  SEPOY  REBELLION. 

' | 'HE  hate  and  cruelty  of  these  fearful  scenes  has  now  to  be 
accounted  for.  To  what  cause  are  we  to  ascribe  them  ? 
Next  to  the  facts  of  the  great  Rebellion,  men  have  sought  for  the 
explanation  of  its  origin. 

I.  The  earliest  reason  to  account  for  it  was  that  put  forward  by 
certain  members  of  the  British  civil  service — venerable  men,  who  had 
long  administered  the  rule  of  the  East  India  Company,  and  reflected 
so  exclusively  its  merely  commercial  and  worldly  spirit  that  they 
seemed  to  forget  they  were  Christians,  or  from  a Christian  land. 
They  so  fully  vindicated  and  illustrated  their  master’s  doctrine 
of  “ neutrality,”  as  in  effect  to  discountenance  Christianity  and 
favor  idolatry.  Of  such  men  the  slang  used  to  be  that  they  “ had 
left  their  religion  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  to  be  resumed  there 
on  their  return  to  England.” 

Such  men  had  become  Hindooized  from  long  contact  with  idola- 
trous usages  and  ceremonies,  almost  verifying  in  regard  to  heathen- 
ism the  reality  of  the  lines, 

■“  Vice  is  a monster  of  such  frightful  mien, 

That  to  be  hated,  needs  but  to  be  seen ; 

But  seen  too  oft,  familiar  with  her  face, 

We  first  endure,  then  pity,  then  embrace.” 

They  paid  a certain  deference  to  idol  shrines,  to  caste  prejudices, 
and  heathenish  customs  ; and  very  decidedly  discountenanced  all 
attempts  at  Bible  or  tract  distribution,  or  legislation  which  aimed 
at  abolishing  even  the  cruel  rites  of  Hindooism.  They  discouraged 
the  incoming  of  missionaries  or  their  preaching,  and,  if  public  sen- 
timent would  have  permitted  it,  they  would  have  persecuted  and 
expelled  them,  as  they  once  actually  expelled  Judson,  and  tried  to 


ENGLAND'S  MISREPRESENT  A TIVES. 


359 


drive  away  Carey,  Marshman,  and  Ward.  Even  their  own  coun- 
trymen were  not  welcome  to  enter  India  as  traders  or  merchants. 
Up  to  the  time  when  I reached  it  their  ready  nickname  for  all  such 
persons  was,  “ Interlopers.” 

Long  had  they  threatened  that  ruin  would  come  if  all  such 
people  as  these  were  not  kept  out,  and  the  inhabitants  of  India 
reserved  for  the  exclusive  manipulation  of  the  East  India  Company 
and  its  servants.  No  one  else  was  needed  or  desired  there.  These 
were  the  men  who,  thirty  years  ago,  led  the  heathen  to  believe  that 
“the  English  had  really  no  religion.”  Well  might  they  think  so. 
As  the  mutiny  developed,  these  conservatives  looked  round  for 
some  specific  act  to  which  they  could  triumphantly  point  the  people 
of  England  as  a verification  of  their  predictions,  and  an  adequate 
and  valid  reason  for  the  Sepoy  Rebellion.  They  found  it  in  the 
fact  that  the  Governor  General,  Lord  Canning,  (fresh  from  home 
and  not  yet  tainted  with  their  Christless  “ neutrality,”)  had  so  far 
forgotten  the  obligations  of  his  high  position  before  the  people  of 
India,  that  he  had  actually  contributed  money  in  aid  of  a Missionary 
Society  ! 

By  an  American  reader  this  statement  must  be  thought  simply 
ridiculous,  and  the  writer  be  deemed  trifling.  But  no,  far  from  it  ; 
we  are  in  sober  earnest.  This  was,  in  all  seriousness,  solemnly  put 
forward  before  the  British  people  and  Parliament  as  the  cause  of 
the  Rebellion  by  these  “ most  potent,  wise,  and  reverend  seigneurs  ” 
of  the  East  India  Company  ! They  found  a mouth-piece  even  in 
the  House  of  Lords,  in  the  person  of  one  of  their  former  associates, 
Lord  Ellenborough,  who  rose  in  his  place,  and  lifted  his  hands  in 
horror  as  he  announced  the  fact,  and  declared  that  nothing  less 
than  Lord  Canning’s  recall  could  be  considered  an  adequate  pen- 
alty for  so  great  a violation  of  the  rules  and  traditions  of  the 
Honorable  Court ! 

This  “ old  Indian,”  who  thus  made  a fool  of  himself,  and  slurred 
the  Christianity  of  the  very  crown  before  him  in  the  presence  of 
what  has  been  called  “ the  most  venerable  legislative  assembly  in 
Christendom,”  was  answered  “ according  to  his  folly,”  not  so  much 


360 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


by  his  brother  Peers,  or  by  Christian  clergymen,  as  by  a man  who 
is  no  Christian  at  all.  God  stirred  up  the  spirit  of  a Hindoo  in 
India  to  reply  to  it,  and  that  far  more  effectually  than  any  one  else 
could  have  done  it. 

I have  genuine  pleasure  in  quoting  this  man’s  glowing  words, 
and,  from  personal  knowledge  of  him,  I believe  his  utterance  was 
the  profound  conviction  of  his  heart.  I commend  the  last  para- 
graph of  his  speech  to  those  who  wish  to  know  how  one  of  the  most 
intelligent  men  in  India,  speaking  for  himself  and  his  fellows,  re- 
gards Christian  Missionaries. 

This  enlightened  native  is  a gentleman  by  the  name  of  Baboo 
Duckinarunjun  Mookerjee,  Secretary  of  the  British  Indian  Associa- 
tion, a native  club  of  considerable  influence,  with  head-quarters  in 
Calcutta.  In  regard  to  those  mistaken  views  put  forward  in  the 
House  of  Lords,  the  Baboo,  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  association 
in  Calcutta,  repudiated  any  such  idea,  as  a reflection  upon  the  people 
of  India,  who,  he  alleges,  can  discriminate  as  well  as  other  men 
between  a personal  and  an  official  act.  He  said,  “ Lord  Ellen- 
borough,  on  the  9th  of  June  last,  in  the  House  of  Lords,  was  pleased 
to  observe  that  the  recent  mutinies  here  are  attributable  to  an  ap- 
prehension on  the  part  of  the  natives  that  the  Government  would 
interfere  with  their  religion  ; that  the  fact  of  Lord  Canning’s  ren- 
dering pecuniary  aid  to  societies  which  have  for  their  object  the 
conversion  of  the  natives,  operates  detrimentally  to  the  security  of 
the  British  Indian  Government,  which  must  be  maintained  on  the 
principles  of  Akbar,  [a  tolerant  ruler,]  but  never  could  be  main- 
tained on  those  of  Aurungzebe,  [an  intolerant  one,]  and  if  it  be  a 
fact  that  the  Governor  General  has  subscribed  to  such  societies, 
his  removal  from  office  would  obviate  the  danger  arising  from  the 
error.  If  the  premises  laid  down  by  Lord  Ellenborough  be  correct, 
there  could  be  no  two  opinions  as  to  the  unfitness  of  Lord  Canning 
to  fill  the  vice-regal  chair,  and  the  urgent  necessity  of  his  Lord- 
ship’s immediate  dismissal  from  office ; but  in  considering  so  mo- 
mentous a question,  it  is  requisite  that  the  facts  upon  which  Lord 
Ellenborough  grounds  his  premises  should  be  fairly  inquired  into, 


A HINDOO'S  REPLY  TO  A BRITISH  PEER. 


361 

and  no  place  is  more  appropriate  to  institute  that  inquiry  than 
Hindustan,  nor  any  assembly  more  competent  to  decide  upon  that 
subject  than  the  one  I have  the  honor  to  address.  First,  let  us 
then  inquire  whether  the  present  rebellion  has  arisen  from  any  at- 
tacks, made  or  intended,  against  the  religious  feelings  of  the  people 
by  the  administration  of  Lord  Canning  ? Secondly,  What  are  the 
real  circumstances  that  have  caused  this  rebellion  ? 

“ Speaking,  as  I am,  from  the  place  which  is  the  center  of  the 
scenes  of  those  mutinies  that  have  drawn  forth  the  remarks  of  Lord 
Ellenborough,  and  possessing,  as  we  do,  the  advantages  of  being 
identified  in  race,  language,  manners,  customs,  and  religion  with 
the  majority  of  those  misguided  wretches  who  have  taken  part  in 
this  rebellion,  and  thereby  disgraced  their  manhood  by  drawing 
their  arms  against  the  very  dynasty  whose  salt  they  have  eaten,  to 
whose  paternal  rule  they  and  their  ancestors  have,  for  the  last  one 
hundred  years,  owed  the  security  of  their  lives  and  properties,  and 
which  is  the  best  ruling  power  that  we  had  the  good  fortune  to 
have  within  the  last  ten  centuries — and  addressing,  as  I am,  a 
society,  the  individual  members  of  which  are  fully  familiar  with  the. 
thoughts  and  sentiments  of  their  countrymen,  and  who  represent 
the  feelings  and  interests  of  the  great  bulk  of  her  Majesty’s  native 
subjects — I but  give  utterance  to  a fact  patent  to  us  all,  that  the 
Government  have  done  nothing  to  interfere  with  our  religion,  and 
thereby  to  afford  argument  to  its  enemies  to  weaken  their  allegiance. 

“ The  abolition  of  the  diabolical  practice  of  infanticide  by  drown- 
ing children  in  the  Ganges,  by  the  Marquis  of  Hastings,  of  the 
criminal  rite  of  Suttee  suicide,  by  Lord  Bentinck,  and  the  passing 
of  other-laws  for  the  discontinuance  of  similar  cruel  and  barbarous 
usages,  equally  called  for  by  justice  and  humanity,  by  Governors 
General,  (though  they  existed  among  us  for  ages,)  never  for  a 
moment  led  us  to  suspect  that  our  British  rulers  would  interfere 
with  our  religion,  or  weaken  the  allegiance  of  any  class  of  subjects 
in  India.  And  is  it  to  be  supposed  that  Lord  Canning’s  subscrip- 
tion to  the  Missionary  Societies  has  ignited  and  fanned  the  awful 
fire,  the  flame  of  which  now  surrounds  the  fair  provinces  of  Hin- 


362 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


dustan,  and  has  changed  the  obedient  and  faithful  native  soldiers 
of  the  State  into  fiends  who  delight  in  plunder,  massacre,  and  de- 
struction ? No,  certainly  not ; our  countrymen  are  perfectly  able  to 
make  a distinction  between  the  acts  of  Lord  Canning  as  a private 
individual,  and  his  Lordship’s  doings  as  the  Viceroy  of  her  gracious 
majesty  Queen  Victoria. 

“ Chiefs  of  all  denominations,  both  Hindoo  and  Mohammedan, 
as  well  as  the  merchants  and  soldiers  of  both  these  races,  possess 
enough  of  intelligence  and  shrewdness  to  know  that  what  a person 
does  in  his  Zaut  K/iass  is  quite  a different  thing  to  what  he  does  in 
his  wohdah;  and  Lord  Ellenborough  must  have  been  misinformed 
as  to  the  impression  the  Governor  General’s  subscription  to  the 
Missionary  Societies  has  produced  in  this  country,  when  he  sur- 
mised that  that  had  occasioned  the  rebellion. 

“ Aware  of  the  weight  that  would  be  attached  by  the  British  pub- 
lic to  the  views  expressed  by  that  personage,  I feel  it  incumbent  on 
me  to  point  out  his  Lordship’s  mistake.  Then,  as  to  the  Mission- 
aries, a man  must  be  a total  stranger  to  the  thoughts,  habits,  and 
character  of  the  Hindoo  population  who  could  fancy  that  because 
the  missionaries  are  the  apostles  of  another  religion,  the  Hindoos 
entertain  an  inveterate  hatred  toward  them.  Akbar  of  blessed 
memory,  whose  policy  Lord  Ellenborough  pronounces  as  peculiarly 
adapted  to  the  government  of  these  dominions,  (and  which,  no 
doubt,  is  so,)  gave  encouragement  to  the  followers  of  all  sects,  re- 
ligions, and  modes  of  worship.  Jaugecrs  and  Altinnghas  bearing 
his  imperial  seal  are  yet  extant,  to  show  that  he  endowed  lands  and 
buildings  for  the  Mohammedan  musjids,  Christian  churches,  and 
Hindoo  devasloys.  The  Hindoos  are  essentially  a tolerant  people  ; 
a fact  which  that  sagacious  prince  did  fully  comprehend,  appre- 
ciate, and  act  upon : and  the  remarks  of  Lord  Ellenborough  that 
Akbar’s  policy  should  be  the  invariable  rule  of  guidance  for  British 
Indian  Governors,  is  most  correct — but  in  the  sense  I have  just  ex- 
plained— and  should  be  recorded  in  golden  characters  on  the  walls 
of  the  Council  Chamber.  When  discussing  an  Indian  subject,  it 
should  always  be  remembered  that  this  country  is  not  inhabited 


ESTIMATE  OF  MISSIONARIES  BY  A HINDOO.  363 

by  savages  and  barbarians,  but  by  those  whose  language  and  litera- 
ture are  the  oldest  in  the  world,  and  whose  progenitors  were  en- 
gaged in  the  contemplation  of  the  sublimest  doctrines  of  religion 
and  philosophy  at  a time  when  their  Anglo-Saxon  and  Gallic  con- 
temporaries were  deeply  immersed  in  darkness  and  ignorance. 
And  if,  owing  to  eight  hundred  years  of  Mohammedan  tyranny  and 
misrule,  this  great  nation  has  sunk  into  sloth  and  lethargy,  it  has, 
thank  God  ! not  lost  its  reason,  and  is  able  to  make  a difference  be- 
tween the  followers  of  a religion  which  inculcates  the  doctrine  that 
should  be  propagated  at  the  point  of  the  sword,  and  that  which 
offers  compulsion  to  none,  but  simply  invites  inquiry.  However 
we  may  differ  with  the  Christian  Missionaries  in  religion,  I speak 
the  minds  of  this  Society,  and  generally  of  those  of  the  people, 
when  I say  that,  as  regards  their  learning,  purity  of  morals,  and 
disinterestedness  of  intention  to  promote  our  weal,  no  doubt  is 
entertained  throughout  the  land,  nay,  they  are  held  by  us  in  the 
highest  esteem.  European  history  does  not  bear  on  its  record  the 
mention  of  a class  of  men  who  suffered  so  many  sacrifices  in  the 
cause  of  humanity  and  education  as  the  Christian  Missionaries  in 
India ; and  though  the  native  community  differ  with  them  in  the 
opinion  that  Hindustan  will  one  day  be  included  in  Christendom, 
(for  the  worship  of  Almighty  God  in  his  Unity,  as  laid  down  in  the 
Holy  Vedas,  is,  and  has  been,  our  religion  for  thousands  of  years, 
and  is  enough  to  satisfy  all  our  spiritual  wants,)  yet  we  cannot  for- 
bear doing  justice  to  the  venerable  ministers  of  a religion  who,  I 
do  here  most  solemnly  assroeratc,  in  piety  and  righteousness  alone 
are  fit  to  be  classed  with  those  Rishees  and  Mohatmas  of  antiquity, 
who  derived  their  support  and  those  of  their  charitable  boarding- 
schools  from  voluntary  subscriptions,  and  consecrated  their  lives  to 
the  cause  of  God  and  knowledge. 

“ It  is  not,  therefore,  likely  that  any  little  monetary  aid  that  may 
have  been  rendered  by  the  Governor  General,  in  his  private  capaci- 
ty, to  Missionary  Societies,  should  have  sown  the  germ  of  that  re- 
cent disaffection  in  the  native  army  which  has  introduced  so  much 
anarchy  and  confusion  in  these  dominions.” 


364 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


That  will  suffice.  The  East  India  Company  is  well,  and  forever, 
answered  by  one  of  its  own  Hindoo  subjects. 

II.  Men  outside  of  India,  imperfectly  acquainted  writh  its  people 
and  the  condition  of  the  English  administration  there,  had  their 
theory  to  account  for  the  rebellion,  and  supposed  that  it  was  owing 
to  causes,  among  which  was  the  preference  of  the  natives  for  some 
other  rule — say  that  of  the  Russians,  whose  incoming  would  be 
hailed  by  them  as  a deliverance  from  a yoke  which  galled  them, 
and  the  misrule  of  which  was  crushing  them  down. 

Here,  too,  let  the  natives  speak  for  themselves.  They  know  their 
own  grievances  best,  and  have  no  restraint  upon  their  utterance. 
The  few  educated  men  among  them  have  spoken.  Any  quantity 
of  testimony  might  be  given,  but  two  or  three  will  suffice.  These 
men  understand  the  difference  of  things ; know  what  good  govern- 
ment, and  personal  security,  and  equal  rights  mean  ; they  appre- 
ciate fine  roads,  arrangements  for  irrigation,  and  provision  for 
public  instruction  ; they  value  peace,  and  law,  and  progress  ; and 
are  well  enough  acquainted  with  their  country’s  history  to  know 
that  their  land  never  had  so  much  of  all  these  as  it  has  to-day. 
They  know  this,  also,  notwithstanding  that  they  are  equally  alive 
to  what  they  regard  as  the  defects  of  the  English  rule,  yet  they 
have  patience,  and  are  aware  that  that  too  is  fast  improving  in 
their  interest. 

One  hundred  and  seventy  years  ago  France  contended  with 
England  for  commercial  and  military  supremacy  in  Southern 
India,  but  England  won  the  rich  prize  then,  as  she  did  at  the 
beginning  of  this  century,  when  she  destroyed  the  embryo  French 
State  which  Perron  was  erecting  in  North  India,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Jumna.  The  Marquis  of  Wellesley  smoked  the  French  out  of 
India  by  a vigorous  use  of  his  artillery,  and  the  Land  of  the  Veda 
was  saved,  in  the  mercy  of  Heaven,  from  becoming  a French  col- 
ony, from  which  ’freedom,  and  the  Bible,  and  the  missionary  would 
have  been  excluded  for  ages,  while  the  wealth  of  the  conquered 
people  might  have  been  employed  to  inflate  French  vanity  and 
extend  her  bigoted  misrule  over  Europe  and  the  world. 


INDIA'S  ESCAPE  FROM  FRENCH  RULE.  365 

One  of  India's  most  intelligent  sons,  Baboo  Bholanauth  Chunder, 
remarks  upon  this  escape  of  his  country  from  French  domination  : 

“ It  is  well  that  an  end  was  put  to  this  French  State  in  embryo. 
The  fickle  and  freakish  Frenchman  has  no  genius  for  consolidating 
an  empire  which  India  wants.  If  he  had  stepped  into  the  shoes 
of  the  Great  Mogul,  India  would  have  been  brought  up  in  sans- 
culottism,  under  a galling  chain  of  gilded  despotism.  Under  French 
rule  the  staid  Hindoo  would  have  been  a strange  animal,  with 
many  a vagary  in  his  head.  How  little  could  their  own  distrac- 
tions have  allowed  Frenchmen  the  time  to  look  after  the  welfare 
of  two  hundred  millions  of  human  beings.  Doubtless  the  French 
acknowledge,  but  fail  to  act  up  to,  the  necessity  of  accommodating 
the  institutions  of  government  to  the  progress  of  information.” 

He  adds,  as  to  the  comparative  value  of  the  two  civilizations 
which  contended  for  supremacy  in  his  country,  “ It  may  be  ques- 
tioned whether  there  is  not  more  tyranny  in  France  than  in  India. 
The  conquered  Indian  is  happy  to  have  no  bit  in  his  mouth — to 
speak  out  his  grievances.  It  is  necessary  for  us  to  appreciate  cor- 
rectly the  character  either  of  the  French  or  of  the  Russian.  If  it 
be  the  will  of  Providence  to  have  a yoke  upon  the  neck  of  our 
nation,  our  nation  should,  in  the  ripened  maturity  of  its  judgment, 
discriminate,  and  prefer  the  yoke  of  the  English  to  be  the  least 
galling.  Nothing  less  than  British  phlegm,  and  imperturbability, 
and  constancy,  and  untiring  energy,  could  have  steadily  prosecuted 
the  task  of  consolidating  the  disjointed  masses  of  India,  and  casting 
her  into  the  mold  of  one  compact  nation.  They  want  but  ‘ the 
high  thoughts  seated  in  a heart  of  courtesy’  to  attach  us  to  their 
rule  with  a feeling  of  loyalty  that,  not  merely  ‘ playing  around  the 
head,  should  come  near  the  heart.’  ” 

What  the  Hindoo  mind  thinks  of  its  present  masters,  and  of 
that  possible  Russian  rule  of  which  people  outside  of  India  some- 
times prognosticate,  may  be  understood  from  the  utterance  of  such 
a native  journal  as  “ The  Som  Prukash,"  which,  in  its  issue  for 
December,  1870,  in  an  article  on  Russia  and  England,  remarks  : 
“ Other  nations  seem  to  think  that  the  Indians  are  disaffected 


366 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


toward  England,  but  there  can  be  no  greater  mistake  than  this. 
That  there  is  dissatisfaction  is  true,  but  that  the  rule  of  Britain 
should  pass  away  is  not  the  desire  of  any.  It  is  the  dissatisfaction 
that  seeks  to  prevent  arbitrary  measures,  and  to  establish  a more 
large-hearted  policy.  If  Russia  or  Germany  depend  at  all  upon 
our  dissatisfaction,  they  will  soon  find  proof  to  the  contrary. 
Should  there  be  war  with  Russia,  all  the  inhabitants  of  India  would 
zealously  come  forward  to  support  the  Government.” 

Their  preference  for  English  rule,  and  their  appreciation  of  its 
advantages,  is  equally  if  not  more  fully  entertained  on  the  western 
coast.  Mr.  Satyendra  Nath  Tagore,  a cultivated  Parsee  of  Bom- 
bay, speaks  for  his  class  of  the  population  in  the  following  enlight- 
ened language  : 

“ It  is  not  for  nothing  that  India  has  been  placed  under  the 
British  rule.  It  is  impossible  to  think  that  her  destinies  have 
been  ruled  by  blind,  unsparing  Fate,  or  that  it  is  for  the  glory 
and  power  of  England  alone  that  such  a wonderful  bond  of  con- 
nection has  been  established  by  an  inscrutable  Providence  between 
the  two  countries.  There  is  one  hope,  one  intense  conviction 
from  which  no  true  patriot  can  escape  ; that  is,  that  England  and 
India  are  to  be  a mutual  blessing ; that  our  country,  once  famous 
in  the  world’s  history,  is  destined  to  be  helped  out  of  her  present 
degeneracy  and  utter  stagnation.  And  is  there  no  reason  for  this 
hope  ? and  are  there  no  data  to  base  this  conviction  upon  ? What 
was  India  a few  years  ago,  and  what  do  we  now  see  around  us  ? 
We  see  a marked  progress,  brought  about  by  Western  civilization. 
We  see  a nation  domineered  over  by  caste  and  idolatry — a nation 
of  which  the  men  are  completely  enslaved  to  custom,  and  the 
women  kept  down  and  tyrannized  over  by  the  men,  by  dint  of 
sheer  physical  strength,  which  they  cannot  resist — a nation  which 
has  long  ceased  to  be  progressive,  and  of  which  inertia  and  station- 
ariness  is  the  natural  condition.  Even  this  nation,  opening  its 
eyes  to  the  enormous  evils  around  it,  is  gradually  awakening  to 
the  influences  of  the  bright  light  of  thought  and  knowledge,  before 
which  millions  of  false  stars  are  fading  away.  India  sank  down 


YOUNG  BENGAL'S  OPINION  OF  CHRISTIANITY.  367 

under  the  weight  of  the  accumulated  corruption  of  ages  ; foreign 
influences  were  requisite  to  arouse  her.  These  are  being  felt 
throughout  her  length  and  breadth.  A steady,  though  slow,  prog- 
ress is  perceptible.  The  tyranny  of  society  is  slowly  succumbing 
to  the  gaining  force  of  individuality  and  intellect.  Superstition  is 
losing  its  strongholds  one  after  another.  Ceremonial  observances 
are  being  replaced  by  true  principles  of  morality.  There  are  many 
things  still  wanting,  hideous  defects  to  be  remedied  ; but  let  us 
work  and  hope  for  a brighter  tuture.  May  India  be  grateful  to 
England  for  the  blessing  she  has  been  enjoying  under  her  benign 
rule!  May  England  feel  that  India  is  a sacred  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. which  cannot  be  thrown  away  ! ” 

In  the  same  spirit,  but  with  even  a wider  and  more  candid  range 
of  moral  vision,  (all  the  more  remarkable  from  such  a source,)  Baboo 
Keshub  Chunder  Sen  of  Calcutta  tells  the  world  what  he  and  his 
Brahmo  Somaj  think  of  English  rule,  and  the  Christian  missions 
which  it  protects.  The  Baboo  says,  (and  I would  commend  his 
words  to  the  consideration  of  some  of  his  Christian  (?)  and  clerical 
admirers  in  New  York  and  Boston,  as  a lesson  which  they  certainly 
much  need  to  learn  :) 

“ It  cannot  be  said  that  we  in  India  have  nothing  to  do  with 
Christ  or  Christianity.  Have  the  natives  of  this  country  alto- 
gether escaped  the  influence  of  Christianity,  and  do  they  owe 
nothing  to  Christ  ? Shall  I be  told  by  my  educated  countrymen 
that  they  can  feel  nothing  but  a mere  remote  historic  interest  in 
the  grand  movement  I have  described  ? You  have  already  seen 
how,  in  the  gradual  extension  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  Christian 
missions  came  to  be  established  in  this  distant  land,  and  what 
results  these  missions  have  achieved.  The  many  noble  deeds  of 
philanthropy  and  self-denying  benevolence  which  Christian  mission- 
aries have  performed  in  India,  and  the  various  intellectual,  social, 
and  moral  improvements  which  they  have  effected,  need  no  flatter- 
ing comment  ; they  are  treasured  in  the  gratitude  of  the  nation, 
and  can  never  be  forgotten  or  denied.  That  India  is  highly  in- 
debted to  these  disinterested  and  large-hearted  followers  of  Christ 


368 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


for  her  present  prosperity,  I have  no  doubt  the  entire  nation  will 
gratefully  acknowledge.  Fortunately  for  India,  she  was  not  for- 
gotten by  the  Christian  missionaries  when  they  went  out  to  preach 
the  Gospel.  While,  through  missionary  agency,  our  country  has 
thus  been  connected  with  the  enlightened  nations  of  the  West 
politically,  an  all-wise  and  all-merciful  Providence  has  intrusted  its 
interests  to  the  hands  of  a Christian  sovereign.  In  this  significant 
event  worldly  men  can  see  nothing  but  an  ordinary  political  phe- 
nomenon ; but  those  of  you  who  can  discern  the  finger  of  Provi- 
dence in  individual  and  national  history  will  doubtless  see  here  a 
wise  and  merciful  interposition.  I cannot  but  reflect  with  grateful 
interest  on  the  day  when  the  British  nation  first  planted  their  feet 
on  the  plains  of  India,  and  on  the  successive  steps  by  which  the  Brit- 
ish empire  has  been  established  and  consolidated  in  this  country. 
It  is  to  the  British  Government  that  we  owe  our  deliverance  from 
oppression  and  misrule,  from  darkness  and  distress,  from  ignorance 
and  superstition.  Those  enlightened  ideas  which  have  changed 
the  very  life  of  the  nation,  and  have  gradually  brought  about  such 
wondrous  improvement  in  native  society,  are  the  gifts  of  that  Gov- 
ernment ; and  so,  likewise,  the  inestimable  boon  of  freedom  of 
thought  and  action,  which  we  so  justly  prize.  Are  not  such  con- 
siderations calculated  to  rouse  our  deepest  gratitude  and  loyalty  to 
the  British  nation,  and  her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria  ? Her  benefi- 
cent. Christian  administration  has  proved  to  us  not  only  a political, 
but  a social  and  moral  blessing,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  our 
national  prosperity  and  greatness,  and  it  is  but  natural  that  we 
should  cherish  toward  her  no  other  feeling  except  that  of  devoted 
loyalty.” — Carpenter  s Six  Months  in  India , Vol.  II,  p.  73. 

Such  men,  of  course,  deprecated  the  Sepoy  Rebellion,  and 
lament  it  to-day  as  the  greatest  mistake  that  their  ignorant  and 
fanatical  countrymen  could  have  made,  and  the  success  of  which 
would  have  been  the  doom  of  India  for  ages.  Bholanauth  Chunder 
speaks  the  mind  of  every  enlightened  Bengalee  Baboo  when  he 
says  : 

“ In  their  infatuation  they  entered  upon  a bubble  scheme,  the 


APPRECIATION  OF  THE  BENEFITS  OF  ENGLISH  RULE.  369 

bursting  of  which  no  sane  man  could  doubt.  They  raised  the 
standard  for  national  independence,  and  anticipated  that  event  at 
least  two  centuries  before  its  time.  We  have  to  learn  much  before 
we  ought  to  hazard  such  a leap.  India  can  no  longer  be  expected 
to  relapse  into  the  days  of  a brahmin  ascendency  or  a Mahratta 
government.  The  advent  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  was  not  merely 
fortuitous,  but  had  been  fore-ordained  in  the  wisdom  of  Provi- 
dence. First  of  all,  our  efforts  should  be  to  shake  off  the  fetters 
which  a past  age  has  forged  for  us  ; to  effect  our  freedom  from 
moral  disabilities  ; and  not  to  stake  the  well-being  of  the  country 
on  the  result  of  a contest  with  veteran  soldiers  who  have  marched 
triumphant  into  Paris,  Canton,  and  Candahar.” 

Another  Hindoo  testimony  is  to  the  same  effect,  only  stronger 
in  its  satisfaction  with  the  results  : 

“ The  mutiny  was  a fatal  error ; it  once  more  plunged  the  coun- 
try into  the  misrule  of  past  ages.  It  jeopardized  the  vital  interest 
of  India,  and  was  to  have  proved  suicidal  of  her  fate.  The  exit  of 
the  English  would  have  undone  all  the  good  that  is  slowly  paving 
the  way  to  her  regeneration.  Rightly  understood,  to  own  the 
government  of  the  English  is  not  so  much  to  own  the  government 
of  that  nation,  as  to  own  the  government  of  an  enlightened  legisla- 
tion, of  the  science  and  civilization  of  the  nineteenth  century,  of 
superior  intelligence  and  genius,  of  knowledge  itself.  Under  this 
view,  no  right-minded  Hindoo  ought  to  feel  his  national  instinct 
offended,  and  his  self-respect  diminished  by  allegiance  to  a foreign 
rule.  The  regeneration  of  his  country  must  be  the  dearest  object 
to  the  heart  of  every  enlightened  Hindoo  ; and  it  must  be  perfectly 
evident  to  him  that  the  best  mode  of  attaining  this  end  is  by  striv- 
ing to  raise  himself  to  the  level  of  his  rulers.  What  can  the  most 
patriotic  Hindoo  wish  for  better  than  that  his  country  should,  until 
its  education  as  a nation  is  further  advanced,  continue  part  of  the 
greatest  and  most  glorious  of  empires,  under  a sovereign  of  the 
purest  Aryan  blood  ? ” 

Baboo  Chunder,  in  the  first  volume  of  his  Travels  of  a Hindoo , 
having  twice  lately  gone  over  the  extent  of  Hindustan  Proper, 


370 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


gratefully  contrasts  the  present  with  the  past  in  the  peace,  secu- 
rity, and  prosperity  of  the  people  of  the  great  Gangetic  Valley,  and 
ascribes  it  all  to  the  beneficence  of  English  rule.  This  impartial 
witness  says  : 

“ The  public  works  of  Hindoos  were  for  the  comfort  only  of  the 
physical  man.  The  Mohammedans  exhibit  but  the  same  care  for 
the  material  well-being,  without  any  progress  made  by  humanity 
toward  the  amelioration  of  its  moral  condition.  Far  otherwise  are 
the  public  works  of  the  English.  Their  schools  and  colleges,  lit- 
erary institutions,  public  libraries,  museums,  botanic  gardens,  are 
proofs  of  a greater  intellectual  state  of  the  world  than  in  any  pre- 
ceding age.  Supposing  the  English  were  to  quit  India,  the  benefi- 
cence of  their  rule  ought  not  to  be  judged  of  by  the  external 
memorials  of  stone  and  masonry  left  behind  them,  but  by  the  eman- 
cipation of  our  nation  from  prejudices  and  superstitions  of  long 
standing,  and  by  the  enlightened  state  in  which  they  shall  leave 
India.  In  the  words  of  De  Quincey,  ‘higher  by  far  than  the 
Mogul  gift  of  limestone,  or  traveling  stations,  or  even  roads  and 
tanks,  were  the  gifts  of  security,  of  peace,  of  law,  and  settled 
order.’ 

“ Nothing  afforded  me  so  great  a pleasure  as  to  pass  through  a 
country  of  one  wide  and  uninterrupted  cultivation,  in  which  paddy- 
fields,  that  have  justly  made  our  country  to  be  called  the  granary 
of  the  world,  extended  for  miles  in  every  direction.  No  such  pros- 
pect greeted  the  eyes  of  a traveler  in  1758.  Then  the  annual 
inroads  of  the  Mahrattas,  the  troubles  following  the  overthrow  of 
the  Mohammedan  dynasty,  frequent  and  severe  famines,  and  viru- 
lent pestilences,  had  thinned  the  population,  and  reduced  fertile 
districts  to  wastes  and  jungles.  It  is  on  record  that  previous  to 
1793,  the  year  of  the  English  Permanent  Settlement,  one  third  ef 
Lower  Bengal  lay  waste  and  uncultivated.  Never,  perhaps,  has 
Bengal  enjoyed  such  a long  period  of  peace  without  interruption 
as  under  British  rule.  From  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Plassey  no 
enemy  has  left  a footprint  upon  her  soil,  no  peasant  has  lost  a 
sheaf  of  grain,  and  no  man  a single  drop  of  blood.  Under  security 


TESTIMONIES  TO  CHRISTIANITY. 


371 


against  an  enemy  from  abroad,  population  has  increased,  cultiva- 
tion has  been  extended,  the  country  has  become  a great  garden, 
and  landed  property  has  risen  in  value  more  than  forty-fold  in  one 
province,  nineteen-fold  in  another,  and  more  than  ten-fold  through- 
out all  Lower  Bengal. 

“ The  Mahratta  freebooter,  the  murderous  Patan,  and  the  Jaut 
bandit,  have  settled  down  to  an  agricultural  life,  and  honest  labor 
has  superseded  lawless  rapine  as  an  occupation.” — Vol.  I,  p.  421, 
etc. 

I can  add  my  personal  testimony  to  this  general  peace  and  secu- 
rity. Traveling  for  nearly  ten  years  in  a palankeen,  alone  and 
unprotected  in  the  hands  of  the  natives,  I have  slept  in  their 
serais  and  under  their  trees,  often  fifty  miles  from  any  white  man, 
yet  I moved  in  perfect  security,  was  never  molested,  and  never  lost 
the  value  of  a cent  in  all  my  peregrinations.  So  profound  is  the 
confidence  in  the  power  of  law  and  the  care  of  the  Government, 
that  ladies  travel  alone  in  this  way  every  night  in  the  year  without 
hesitation  or  anxiety.  Such  is  the  security  of  person  and  property 
under  English  rule  in  India.  It  never  was  so  before  ; and  every 
honest  and  candid  mind  should  give  them  credit  for  what  they  have 
there  accomplished.  The  Hindoos  do  so  frankly,  and  have  even  tried 
to  make  capital  out  of  the  wonderful  fact,  to  the  credit  of  their  own 
system  of  idolatry,  in  the  following  singular  fashion,  as  related  by 
General  Sleeman  in  his  “ Recollections.”  He  says  : 

“A  very  learned  Hindoo  told  me  in  Central  India  that  the 
oracle  of  Mahadeva  (the  Great  God)  had  been  at  the  same  time  con- 
sulted at  three  of  his  greatest  temples — one  in  the  Deccan,  one  in 
Rajpootana,  and  one  in  Bengal — as  to  the  result  of  the  govern- 
ment of  India  by  Europeans.  A day  was  appointed  for  the 
answer,  and  when  the  priest  came  to  receive  it,  they  found  Maha- 
deva (Shiva)  himself,  with  a European  complexion,  and  dressed  in 
European  clothes.  He  told  them  ‘ that  their  European  govern- 
ment was  in  reality  nothing  more  than  a multiplied  incarnation  of 
himself,  and  that  he  had  come  among  them  in  this  shape  to  pre- 
vent their  cutting  each  other’s  throats,  as  they  had  been  doing  for 


372 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


some  centuries  past ; that  these,  his  incarnations,  appeared  to  have 
no  religion  themselves,  in  order  that  they  might  be  the  more  im- 
partial arbitrators  between  the  people  of  so  many  different  creeds 
and  sects  who  now  inhabited  the  country  ; that  they  must  be 
aware  that  they  never  had  before  been  so  impartially  governed, 
and  that  they  must  continue  to  obey  these  governors,  without 
attempting  to  pry  further  into  futurity  or  the  will  of  their  gods.’  ” — 
Vcl.  II,  p.  241. 

Thus  Brahmos,  Bengalees,  Parsees,  and  Hindoos,  the  educated, 
the  agriculturists,  and  even  the  idolaters  themselves,  admit  the 
mighty  change,  and  rejoice  in  it.  Instances  are  even  found  where 
candid  men  among  them,  and  even  Brahmins,  will  go  further  than 
all  these  have  gone,  as  in  the  recent  case  at  Arcot  and  its  medical 
mission. 

A reading-room  had  been  opened  at  Madnapilly.  At  the  dedi- 
cation, the  Rev.  Jacob  Chamberlain  delivered  an  address,  at  the 
close  of  which  a Brahmin  requested  permission  to  make  some 
remarks.  Without  the  least  conjecture  of  what  he  was  going  to 
say,  he  was  allowed  to  commence,  when  he  proceeded  to  deliver  a 
remarkable  eulogy  on  the  missionaries.  He  compared  them  to 
the  mango  tree,  which,  however  beaten,  and  wounded,  and  stripped 
of  its  fruit,  still  goes  on,  year  by  year,  to  yield  its  wholesome  fruit. 
He  dwelt  with  enlargement  and  unction  on  this  subject,  and  then 
added  as  follows  : 

“ Now  what  is  it  makes  him  do  all  this  for  us  ? It  is  his  Bible. 
I’ve  looked  into  it  a good  deal  at  one  time  and  another  in  the  dif- 
ferent languages  I chance  to  know.  It  is  just  the  same  in  all  lan- 
guages. The  Bible — there  is  nothing  to  compare  with  it  in  all  our 
sacred  books  for  goodness,  and  purity,  and  holiness,  and  love,  and 
for  motives  of  action.  Where  did  the  English-speaking  people  get 
all  their  intelligence,  and  energy,  and  cleverness,  and  power  ? It 
is  their  Bible  that  gives  it  to  them.  And  now  they  bring  it  to  us 
and  say,  ‘ This  is  what  raised  us  ; take  it  and  raise  yourselves.’ 
They  do  not  force  it  upon  us,  as  the  Mohammedans  used  to  their 
Koran  ; but  they  bring  it  in  love,  and  translate  it  into  our 


TIIE  ENEMIES  OF  ENGLAND  IN  INDIA.  373 

languages,  and  lay  it  before  us,  and  say,  ‘ Look  at  it,  read  it,  exam- 
ine it,  and  see  if  it  is  not  good.’  Of  one  thing  I am  convinced  : 
do  what  we  will,  oppose  it  as  we  may,  it  is  the  Christian’s  Bible 
that  will,  sooner  or  later,  work  the  regeneration  of  this  land.” 

The  missionary  adds,  “ I could  not  but  be  surprised  at  this  testi- 
mony thus  borne.  How  far  the  speaker  was  sincere  I cannot  tell ; 
but  he  had  the  appearance  of  a man  speaking  his  earnest  convic- 
tions. Some  three  years  ago  I had  attended,  in  his  zenana,  his 
second  wife,  a beautiful  girl,  through  a dangerous  attack,  and  I 
knew  that  he  felt  very  grateful ; but  I was  not  prepared  to  see  him 
come  out,  before  such  an  audience,  with  such  testimony  to  the 
power  and  excellence  of  the  Bible.  My  earnest  prayer  is,  that  not 
only  his  intellect  may  be  convinced,  but  that  his  heart  may  be 
reached  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  he  may  soon  become  an  ear- 
nest follower  of  Jesus.” 

These  quotations,  which  are  rather  lengthy,  are  of  high  signifi- 
cance, as  showing  what  is  the  condition  of  multitudes  of  the  think- 
ing classes  of  India,  and  what  changes  arc  imminent  in  that  mag- 
nificent land,  when  leading  men  can  be  found  thus  to  stand  forth 
before  their  countrymen  and  utter  such  words.  To  all  this  can  be 
added  that  England  has  given  India  the  printing  press,  the  tele- 
graph, the  iron  horse,  the  Ganges  canal,  (which  irrigates  3,380,000 
acres  of  land,  and  makes  famine  impossible  in  the  Doab,)  and  that 
these  improvements  are  constantly  on  the  increase.  Allowing  for 
her  time  and  the  circumstances,  she  has  done  wonders  for  the  land 
she  rules,  and  the  immense  majority  of  the  people  knew  this  well, 
and  had  no  sympathy  for,  and  lent  no  aid  to,  the  Sepoy  Rebellion, 
for  they  did  not  desire  a change. 

But  England  had  her  enemies.  The  Mohammedans  generally, 
the  Fakirs,  most  of  the  Brahmins,,  the  Thugs,  and  the  lawless  and 
criminal  classes,  to  a man  hate  her.  These  together  amounted  to- 
millions.  Circumstances  gave  them  an  imperial  name  for  a rallying 
cry,  a Peishwa’s  influence  and  a Sepoy  instrumentality  for  the 
working  power,  and  they  made  wonderful  use  of  the  peculiar  com- 
bination. But  why  did  they  single  themselves  out,  and  in  the 

21 


374 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


name  of  the  people  of  India,  which  the  immense  majority  never 
gave  them  the  slightest  authority  to  use,  commence  the  work  of 
extermination?  We  have  already  given  the  reasons  which  influ- 
enced the  Mogul  Court,  the  Nana  Sahib,  the  Mohammedans,  and 
the  Fakirs.  But  there  were  other  reasons  which  account  for  the 
Brahminical  interest  in  the  matter,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Thugs 
and  the  lawless  classes,  which  have  not  yet  been  presented,  and  a 
knowledge  of  which  is  essential  to  a full  and  complete  view  of  the 
motives  which  originated  the  fearful  combination  against  Chris 
tianity,  and  the  English  power  which  protected  it. 

Slowly,  but  surely,  the  better  portion  of  the  British  administra- 
tors were  urging  on  reforms  and  legislation  in  the  interests  of 
humanity.  They  had  much  to  contend  with  in  their  noble  aims 
between,  on  the  one  hand,  the  old  civilians  of  the  Company,  who 
were  still  in  the  higher  posts  of  the  service,  and  on  the  other,  from 
the  men  whose  power  and  emoluments  were  derived  from  usages 
and  institutions  which  they  were  striking  down  one  by  one.  The 
abolition  of  female  infanticide  was  allowed  to  pass  with  little  re- 
sistance, because  it  brought  no  profit  to  priest  or  Fakir.  But  it  was 
different  with  the  far  greater  crime  of  deliberately  roasting  alive 
the  beautiful  and  wealthy  ladies  of  the  land  who  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  become  widows,  for  there  the  ceremonies  were  splendid, 
the  Brahmin  exercised  the  height  of  awful  power,  and  his  per- 
quisites were  larger  than  in  any  other  ceremony  of  his  faith. 

This  extraordinary  and  (save  in  India)  unparalleled  crime,  re- 
duced to  a system,  sanctioned  by  their  religion,  and  practiced  for 
.aces,  is  so  wonderful  in  itself  and  its  circumstances  that  the  West- 
ern  reader  will  desire  to  be  more  fully  informed  of  its  character, 
and  the  motives  under  which  it  was  inflicted  and  endured,  than 
he  could  be  by  a mere  passing  allusion,  so  we  pause  here  to 
illustrate  and  describe  it. 

The  suttee  commemorated  in  this  steel  engraving  took  place  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Baroda,  in  the  dominions  of  the  Guicowar, 
during  the  period  that  Sir  James  Carnac  was  English  Resident 
.(Embassador)  at  that  Court.  The  sketch  was  made  and  the  whole 


SUTTEE  WITHOUT  VEDIC  SANCTION. 


377 


circumstance  described,  by  Captain  Grindley,  as  it  was  one  of  un- 
usual interest.  The  suttee  was  a young  Brahmanee  woman.  On 
her  intention  becoming  known  to  the  Resident,  he  went  at  once  to 
her  house  with  the  humane  intention  of  persuading  her  to  abandon 
her  purpose.  Failing  to  produce  any  impression,  the  Resident 
waited  on  the  ruling  Prince,  who  kindly  undertook  to  add  his  per- 
suasion, but  he  was  equally  unsuccessful.  Determined  to  prevent 
her  burning  herself,  he  surrounded  her  premises  with  his  troops. 
He  offered  her  the  means  of  subsistence,  and  urged  the  duties  she 
owed  her  family.  The  widow  remained  unmoved  and  unconvinced. 
On  being  told  she  would  not  be  allowed  to  ascend  the  funeral  pile, 
she  drew  a dagger  from  the  folds  of  her  dress,  and,  with  all  the 
vehemence  that  passion  could  add  to  fanaticism,  declared  that  her 
blood — the  blood  of  a Brahmin  woman — should  be  upon  the  soul 
of  him  who  offered  to  prevent  her  performing  her  duty  to-her  hus- 
band. Intimidated,  the  Guicowar  with  his  retinue  withdrew.  The 
unhappy  woman  rushed  away  to  the  river  brink,  and  there,  aided 
by  her  friends  and  the  Brahmins,  she  quickly  went  through  the 
ablutions  and  prescribed  ceremonies,  and  ascended  the  steps  to  the 
fatal  spot — immediately  behind  the  domed  arch  in  the  engraving — 
and  threw  herself  into  the  midst  of  the  flames. 

Christian  women  will  wish  to  understand  the  reasons  that  could 
thus  so  strangely  and  determinately  overcome,  in  one  of  their  sex — 
a young  and  beautiful  woman — the  love  of  life,  of  friends,  and  of 
children,  and  lead  her  to  dare  death  in  one  of  its  most  awful  forms, 
in  obedience  to  what  she  regarded  as  a supreme  duty. 

Of  suttee,  or  widow  burning,  the  origin  is  unknown.  But  it 
must  be  very  ancient,  for  it  is  alluded  to  by  Diodorus  Siculus  as 
being  then  an  established  custom.  Such  a horrid  rite  should  cer- 
tainly be  able  to  show  the  highest  authority  for  itself.  According- 
ly, the  Brahmins  of  India  have  asserted  that  the  Vedas,  which  they 
hold  to  be  their  most  ancient  and  divine  writings,  have  expressly 
required  this  last  evidence  of  a wife’s  devotion  to  her  deceased  lord. 
So  long  as  these  writings  were  unknown  to  the  outside  world,  they 
might  make  their  assertion  with  safety.  But  of  late  years  Chris- 


378 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


tian  men  have  mastered  the  ancient  Sanscrit,  and  have  read  the 
Vedas,  and  demanded  from  the  Brahmins  the  proof  of  a statement 
under  which  millions  of  women  have  been  foully  murdered  during 
the  past  twenty-five  hundred  years.  The  depth  of  their  villainy  has 
been  revealed  by  the  appeal  made  to  the  highest  authority  of  their 
own  religion.  The  honor  of  demolishing  the  last  Brahminical  pre- 
text for  regarding  suttee  as  an  orthodox  Hindoo  practice  belongs 
to  Horace  Hayman  Wilson.  In  a paper  read  by  the  learned  pro- 
fessor before  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  on  February  4,  1854,  he 
proved  that  the  passage — and  it  was  the  solitary  text  from  all  the 
Vedas  that  the  Brahmins  could  bring  forward  in  its  defense — the 
passage  quoted  had  actually  been  corrupted  by  the  substitution  of 
a single  letter,  which  changed  the  whole  sense,  agneh  for  agreh,  the 
meaning  being  thereby  perverted  from,  “ let  them  [the  widows]  go 
up  into  the  dwelling','  to  “let  them  go  up  into  the  fire" — the  r 
changed  to  n made  this  difference  ; and  these  cruel  men  were  re- 
sponsible for  the  flagrant  corruption  ! Professor  Wilson  added, 
that  he  was  supported  in  his  opinion  by  Dr.  Max  Muller,  and  that 
Aswalayana,  the  author  of  the  Grihya  Sutras — a work  little  inferior 
in  authority  to  the  Vedas  themselves — actually  designates  the 
proper  person  to  lead  the  widow  away  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
funeral  rites  ; so  that  so  far  from  demanding  her  immolation,  the 
text  inferentially  enjoins  the  widow’s  preservation.  Suttee,  there- 
fore, with  all  its  antiquity,  is  proved  by  the  Vedas  to  be,  like  female 
infanticide,  an  accursed  invention  of  modern  Hindooism. 

Next  to  the  Vedas,  the  “Institutes  of  Menu”  are  the  highest 
authority  to  a Hindoo  conscience.  I have  carefully  read  this 
entire  code  of  laws  ; but  not  one  obligation  to  such  a rite  as  suttee 
is  to  be  found  in  it.  The  Brahmins  have  not  dared  to  reply  to  the 
learned  professor.  They  assert,  of  course,  that  it  is  recommended 
in  the  Shasters  and  Puranas  ; but  these  are  all  of  more  recent 
origin,  and  are  far  below  the  paramount  authority  of  the  Vedas, 
and  no  serious  doctrine  can  be  built  on  them  alone  ; so  that  they 
stand  convicted  of  teaching  for  doctrines  novelties  which  are  only 
“the  commandments  of  men,”  like  the  Jews  of  old,  or  the  Romanists 


MODERN  HIND 0 OISM  ALONE  DEMANDS  SUTTEE.  379 


of  our  own  clay.  Exactly  as  the  present  Pope  has  done,  when, 
eighteen  hundred  years  after  the  canon  of  Scripture  was  closed,  he 
dared  to  invent  a new  doctrine  — that  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception of  the  Virgin  Mary — and  would  fain  make  its  belief  bind- 
ing on  the  consciences  of  Catholics,  even  so  have  these  Brahmins 
acted  at  distances  almost  as  great  from  the  date  of  their  own 
Vedas. 

Every  suttee,  therefore,  has  been  without  what  even  they  regard 
as  the  divine  sanction,  which  alone  could  ordain  it.  Christian 
Orientalists  and  missionaries  have  pressed  this  position,  to  the 
utter  discomfiture  and  confusion  of  these  guilty  Brahmins. 

But  while  the  Vedas  and  the  Code  are  thus  entirely  silent,  and 
even  lay  down  the  laws  by  which  a widow’s  life  is  to  be  guided,  the 
inferior  authority  of  modern  Hindooism — and  any  thing  is  “ mod- 
ern ” in  their  view  which  dates  within  two  thousand  years  of  this 
time — are  particular  and  definite  enough,  in  prescribing  the  bar- 
barous rites  under  which  she  is  urged  to  yield  her  delicate  body  to 
the  devouring  flames  ; so  that  upon  this  fraud  on  the  faith  of 
India  has  been  built  up  the  greatest  victory  that  priestcraft  has 
ever  achieved  over  the  natural  feelings  and  instincts  of  mankind  in 
any  age  or  nation. 

The  words  of  the  Puranas,  which  commend  this  dreadful  rite, 
are  as  follows  : “ The  wife  who  commits  herself  to  the  flames  with 
her  husband’s  corpse  shall  equal  Arundhoti,  [the  exalted  wife  of 
Vashista,]  and  dwell  in  Swarga,  [heavenly  bliss.]  As  many  hairs 
as  are  on  the  human  body,  multiplied  by  threescore  and  fifty  lakhs 
[each  lakh,  100,000]  of  years,  so  many  years  shall  she  live  with  him 
in  Swarga.  As  the  snake-catcher  forcibly  draws  the  serpent  from 
his  hole  in  the  earth,  so,  bearing  her  husband  from  hell,  she  shall 
with  him  enjoy  happiness.  Dying  with  her  husband,  she  purifies 
three  generations — her  father  and  mother’s  side  and  husband’s  side. 
Such  a wife,  adoring  her  husband,  enters  into  celestial  felicity  with 
him — greatest  and  most  admired  ; lauded  by  the  choirs  of  heaven, 
with  him  she  shall  enjoy  the  delights  of  heaven  while  fourteen 
Indras  reign.” 


380 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


In  the  event  of  her  husband  dying  while  absent  from  her,  pro- 
vision is  made  for  her  suttee  in  the  following  words  of  the  Brah- 
ma-Purana : “ If  the  husband  be  out  of  the  country  when  he  dies, 
let  the  virtuous  wife  take  his  slippers,  or  any  thing  else  that 
belongs  to  his  dress,  and,  binding  them  or  it  upon  her  breast,  after 
purification,  enter  a separate  fire.”  The  same  Purana  adds : 

“ While  the  pile  is  preparing,  tell  the  faithful  wife  of  the  greatest 
duty  of  woman.  She  is  alone  loyal  and  pure  who  burns  herself 
with  her  husband’s  corpse.  Having  thus  fortified  her  resolution, 
and  full  of  affection,  she  completes  the  Pragashita,  and  ascends  to 
Swarga.” 

The  circumstances  are  defined  in  which  widows  are  excused 
from  the  obligation  of  suttee.  For  example,  if  a woman  has  re- 
cently become  a mother,  or  expects  soon  to  be,  she  may  hold  her- 
self exempted  ; yet  even  she  is  at  liberty,  thirty  days  after  child- 
birth, to  assert  her  fidelity  by  dying  amid  the  flames. 

In  case  a Hindoo  widow  decides  not  to  burn,  then  these  priestly 
law-makers  have  prescribed  her  future  condition  under  degrading 
obligations,  that  often  prove  but  a little  less  terrible  than  death 
itself ; but  of  this  we  shall  speak  more  fully  when  we  come  to 
describe  the  condition  to  which  Hindoo  law  reduces  the  afflicted 
widows  of  that  land.  Before  considering  the  motives  of  this  fear- 
ful sacrifice,  and  the  extent  to  which  it  has  prevailed,  we  will  place 
before  our  readers  a description  of  the  rite  of  suttee  as  it  is  usually 
performed. 

The  husband  is  dead.  In  India  the  body  must  be  disposed  of 
within  twelve  hours.  In  the  tumult  of  her  grief,  the  Brahmins  and 
friends  ‘wait  upon  the  distracted  widow  to  learn  her  intentions. 
There  is  no  time  for  reflection  or  second  thought.  Within  an 
hour  it  is  usually  settled.  She  agrees  to  mingle  her  ashes  with 
her  lord’s.  Opium  or  strong  liquor  is  given  to  sustain  her  cour- 
age. Before  the  word  is  spoken  the  decision  is  with  herself ; but, 
once  consenting  to  die,  she  may  not  recall  her  words.  Millions, 
of  course,  have  expressed  a trembling  preference  for  life,  even  with 
all  its  future  gloom  to  them  ; but  multitudes  have  consented  at 


THE  MODE  OF  SUTTEE.  3Sl 

ofice  to  burn,  and,  even  in  advance  of  being  asked,  they  have,  in 
the  first  spasm  of  their  bereavement,  uttered  the  fatal  and  irrevo- 
cable cry,  “ Suth  ! siit/i  /”  Orders  are  at  once  issued  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  fatal  pile,  and  the  accustomed  ceremonies  ; the  widow, 
too,  has  to  be  prepared.  Friends  sometimes,  with  more  or  less 
sincerity,  try  to  dissuade  her  from  her  purpose  ; but  all  her  relig- 
ious convictions  and  priestly  advisers  urge  on  the  poor,  infatuated 
— perhaps  intoxicated — woman  to  her  doom.  On  the  banks  ol  the 
sacred  river,  while  she  bathes  in  the  Ganges,  a Brahmin  is  coolly 
reading  the  usual  forms.  She  is  now  arrayed  in  bridal  costume, 
but  her  face  is  unvailed,  and  her  hair  unbound  and  saturated  with 
oil,  and  her  whole  body  is  perfumed.  Her  jewels  are  now  added, 
and  she  is  adorned  with  garlands  of  flowers.  Thus  prepared,  she 
is  conducted  to  the  pile,  which  is  an  oblong  square,  formed  of  four 
stout  bamboos  or  branches  fixed  in  the  earth  at  each  corner. 
Within  those  supports  the  dry  logs  are  laid  from  three  to  four  feet 
high,  with  cotton  rope  and  other  combustibles  interlaced.  Chips 
of  odoriferous  wood,  butter,  and  oil  are  plentifully  added,  to  give 
force  and  fragrance  to  the  flames.  The  ends  above  are  interwoven 
to  form  a bower,  and  this  is  sometimes  decked  with  flowers.  The 
husband’s  body  has  been  already  laid  upon  it.  In  the  south  of 
India  the  fire  is  first  applied,  and  the  widow  throws  herself  into 
the  burning  mass  ; but  the  more  general  way  is  not  to  apply  the 
fire  till  she  has  taken  her  position.  The  size  of  the  pile  is  regu- 
lated by  the  number  of  widows  who  are  to  be  burned  with  the 
body.  Cases  are  well  known,  like  the  one  at  Sookachura,  near 
Calcutta,  where  the  pile  was  nearly  twelve  yards  long,  and  on  it 
eighteen  wives,  leaving  in  all  over  foVty  children,  burned  them- 
selves with  the  body  of  their  husband. 

When  the  widow,  thus  prepared,  reaches  the  pile,  she  walks 
around  it,  supported  if  necessary  by  a Brahmin.  She  then  distrib- 
utes her  gifts,  including  her  jewels,  to  the  Brahmins  and  her  friends, 
but  retains  her  garlands.  She  now  approaches  the  steps  by  which 
she  is  to  mount  the  pile,  and  there  repeats  the  Sancalpa,  thus  : “ On 
this  month  so  named — that  I may  enjoy  with  my  husband  the 


382 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


felicity  of  heaven,  and  sanctify  my  paternal  and  maternal  progeni- 
tors, and  the  ancestry  of  my  husband’s  father — that  expiation  may 
be  made  for  my  husband’s  offenses — thus  I ascend  my  husband’s 
pile.  I call  on  )rou,  ye  guardians  of  the  eight  regions  of  the  world, 
sun  and  moon,  air,  fire,  ether,  earth,  and  water,  my  own  soul,  Yama, 
[god  of  the  dead,]  day,  night,  and  twilight ! And  thou,  conscience, 
bear  witness,  I follow  my  husband’s  corpse  on  the  funeral  pile!” 

She  then  moves  around  the  pile  three  times  more,  while  the 
Brahmins  repeat  the  Muniras — the  texts  on  burning  already  quoted, 
and  others — and  then  ascends  to  the  corpse,  and  either  lies  down 
by  its  side,  or  takes  its  head  in  her  lap.  In  some  places  ropes 
are  thrown  over  to  bind  the  living  to  the  dead,  or  long  bamboos 
are  bent  down  upon  them  both,  and  the  ends  held  firm  by  attend- 
ing Brahmins.  Sometimes  she  is  left  untied  and  loose.  All  is 
now  ready  : her  eldest  son,  if  she  have  one — if  not,  the  nearest  male 
relative — stands  ready  to  discharge  the  cruel  office  of  executioner 
by  igniting  the  pile  at  the  four  corners  quickly.  The  whole  struct- 
ure instantly  blazes  up,  and  the  poor  lady  is  at  once  enveloped 
in  a sheet  of  flame.  Musical  instruments  strike  up,  the  Brahmins 
vociferously  chant,  the  crowd  shout  “ Hari-bal ! Hari-bal!”  [call 
on  Hari — a name  of  the  god  Vishnu,]  so  that  her  moans  or  shrieks 
are  drowned  in  the  infernal  din  raised  around  her. 

Just  at  this  period  of  the  proceedings  is  the  dreadful  moment  when 
woman’s  courage  has  so  often  failed  her,  and  nature  has  proved  too 
strong  for  fanaticism.  If  not  at  once  overwhelmed  or  suffocated, 
even  though  she  knows  that  her  attempt  to  escape  will  be  resisted 
as  a duty  by  her  own  friends,  who  would  regard  her  as  an  outcast, 
the  victim  not  unfrequently,  when  left  untied,  springs  off  the  burn- 
ing mass  among  the  spectators  and  piteously  pleads  for  life. 
Alas  ! it  is  too  late  ; there  is  no  mercy  for  her  now ! She  is  at 
once  struck  down  by  a sword  or  a billet  of  wood,  and  flung  back 
again  on  the  pile,  her  own  son  having  been  known  to  be  one  of 
the  most  forward  to  tie  her  hands  and  feet  for  this  purpose. 

The  writer  remembers  to  have  heard  of  a case  at  Benares,  where 
the  poor  woman  was  actually  saved  by  a sudden  and  singular 


THE  EXTENT  TO  WHICH  SUTTEE  IIAS  PREVAILED.  383 

thought  of  the  English  magistrate,  a young  gentleman  of  the  name 
of  Harding.  On  the  death  of  the  Brahmin,  Mr.  Harding  was  suc- 
cessful in  persuading  the  widow  not  to  burn  ; but  twelve  months 
after  she  was  goaded  by  her  family  into  the  expression  of  a wish 
to  burn  with  some  relic  of  her  husband  preserved  for  the  purpose. 
The  pile  was  prepared  for  her  at  Ramnugger,  two  miles  above 
Benares,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Ganges.  She  was  not  well  se- 
cured on  the  pile,  and  as  soon  as  she  felt  the  fire  she  jumped  off 
and  plunged  into  the  river.  The  people  ran  after  her  along  the 
bank  ; but  the  current  carried  her  toward  Benares,  where  a police 
boat  put  off  and  took  her  in.  Her  oiled  garments  had  kept  her 
afloat.  The  police  took  her  to  the  magistrate,  but  the  whole  city 
of  Benares  was  in  an  uproar  at  the  rescue  of  a Brahmin’s  widow 
from  the  funeral  pile.  Thousands  surrounded  Mr.  Harding’s  house, 
and  the  principal  men  of  the  city  implored  him  to  surrender  the 
woman  ; among  the  rest  was  her  own  father,  who  declared  that  he 
could  not  support  his  daughter,  and  that  she  had,  therefore,  better 
be  burned,  as  her  husband’s  family  would  not  receive  her.  The 
uproar  was  quite  alarming  to  a young  man,  who  felt  all  the  re- 
sponsibility upon  himself  in  such  a fanatical  city  as  Benares,  with 
a population  of  three  hundred  thousand  people.  He  long  argued 
the  point  with  the  crowd,  urging  the  time  that  had  elapsed,  and  the 
unwillingness  of  the  woman,  but  in  vain  ; until  at  length  the  thought 
struck  him  suddenly,  and  he  said  that  the  sacrifice  was  mani- 
festly unacceptable  to  their  god — that  the  sacred  river  itself  had 
rejected  her,  as  she  had,  without  being  able  to  swim,  floated  down 
two  miles  upon  its  bosom,  in  the  presence  of  them  all ; and  it  was, 
therefore,  clear  that  she  had  been  rejected  ! Had  she  been  an  ac- 
ceptable sacrifice,  after  the  fire  had  touched  her  the  river  would 
have  received  her!  This  Hindoo  reason  satisfied  the  whole  crowd. 
The  father  said,  after  this  unanswerable  argument,  he  would  re- 
ceive his  daughter.  So  the  poor  woman  was  saved. 

The  question  has  been  raised,  To  what  extent  has  suttee  pre- 
vailed ? It  is  very  difficult  to  reach  even  an  approximate  reply  to 
this  inquiry.  Lord  Bentinck’s  efforts  for  the  abolition  of  the  rite 


3§4 


TUE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


led  to  the  possession  of  the  only  reliable  statistics  that  we  have 
upon  the  subject.  From  these  the  rest  must  be  inferred.  The 
cruel  custom  has  been  almost  restricted  to  the  affluent  and  higher 
orders,  as  the  poor  are  unable  to  bear  the  expense  ; so  that  it  has 
been  the  most  exalted,  wealthy,  and  beautiful  ladies  of  the  land  who 
have  thus  been  immolated. 

From  statistics  obtained  by  the  magistrates  of  the  district  around 
Calcutta  prior  to  1829,  a published  list  gives  fifty-four  cases  in  the 
months  of  May  and  June,  1812,  where  sixty-nine  women,  of  ages 
from  sixteen  to  sixty,  were  burned  with  these  fifty-four  dead  bodies  ; 
leaving  altogether  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  children,  who  were, 
as  in  all  such  cases,  thus  deprived  of  both  parents  at  once.  An- 
other list  for  the  region  within  thirty  miles  of  Calcutta,  gives  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  known  cases  for  the  year  1803.  In  the 
Bengal  presidency,  in  the  year  1817,  there  were  seven  hundred  and 
six  cases  recorded — nearly  two  each  day  for  that  part  of  India 
alone.  In  ten  years,  from  1815  to  1825,  these  lists,  for  the  locali- 
ties where  English  magistrates  took  note  of  suttees,  show  that  five 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-seven  widows  were  thus  immo- 
lated ! These  are  only  the  more  public  instances  coming  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  magistrates  within  the  limited  portion  of  India 
then  directly  ruled  by  England.  But  what  of  those  of  all  the  rest 
of  the  country,  from  the  Himalayas  to  Cape  Comorin  ? And,  if  they 
could  be  numbered  and  known,  then,  to  obtain  the  sum  total,  you 
have  to  multiply  them  by  the  two  thousand  five  hundred  years  dur- 
ing which  these  unwarranted  and  fiendish  cruelties  have  been  prac- 
ticed on  gentle  women  before  the  face  of  heaven  in  India!  The 
blood  of  these  millions  of  women  has  been  crying  to  God  from  the 
ground  all  that  time,  against  the  Brahmins  of  Hindustan. 

The  origin  of  suttee,  some  have  supposed,  might  be  found  in  the 
cruel  jealousy  of  husbands,  reaching  thus  beyond  the  grave  ; while 
others  refer  it  to  the  tradition  that  it  was  adopted  as  an  expedient 
for  the  preservation  of  men’s  lives.  Doctor  Chever,  in  . his  recent 
work  on  Indian  Medical  Jurisprudence,  traces  the  custom  to  this 
origin.  He  brings  forward  authorities  to  show  that  the  Brahmins 


TUE  MOTIVES  OF  SUTTEE. 


335 


themselves  invented  the  law  as  a means  of  self-protection  against 
their  wives.  Before  its  introduction,  the  wives  were  in  the  habit  of 
avenging  themselves  on  their  husbands  for  neglect  and  cruelty  by 
mixing  poison  with  their  food ; and  at  last  things  came  to  such  a 
height  that  the  least  matrimonial  quarrel  resulted  in  the  husband’s 
death.  An  easier  remedy  for  the  evil  might  have  been  found  in 
compelling  the  wife  to  eat  out  of  the  same  dish  as  the  husband,  but 
this  would  have  involved  too  wide  a departure  from  the  customs  of 
society  ; and  it  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  a peculiar  refine- 
ment of  cruelty  in  the  expedient  adopted,  which  would  commend 
itself  to  the  Asiatic  mind.  The  Brahmins  thus  gave  the  matron 
an  interest  in  the  preservation  of  her  lord’s  life,  by  decreeing  that 
her  ashes  should  mingle  with  his.  If  this  were  its  origin,  then  the 
deepest  insult  was  added  to  the  most  cruel  wrong  of  which  woman 
can  be  made  the  victim,  when  thus  surrendered  to  a false  religion, 
and  into  the  hands  of  men  as  oppressive  as  their  faith. 

The  motives  which  have  perpetuated  the  rite  are  more  easily 
found.  So  far  as  the  priestly  Brahmin  is  concerned,  he  has  a 
direct  pecuniary  interest  in  the  existence  and  increase  of  the  cruel 
custom.  Brahmins  officiating  at  suttees  are  always  well  rewarded, 
both  by  fees  and  gifts  ; and  quarrels  among  themselves  about  their 
earnings  are  no  novelty.  The  family  of  the  immolated  woman  are 
taught  that  to  them  belong  the  invisible  and  spiritual  blessings  of 
the  suttee — that  this  doomed  widow’s  agonies  are  to  expiate  the 
foulest  sins  of  them  and  of  her  husband,  and  lift  them  all  to  heav- 
enly bliss.  The  reader  will  remember  the  Puranas  already  quoted, 
where  this  is  expressly  taught.  Hence  the  eagerness  with  which 
her  consent  to  become  a suttee  is  sought,  and  the  barbarity  which 
helps  on,  and  even  enforces,  her  destruction  when  her  resolution  has 
failed.  The  motives  of  the  poor  lady  herself  are  still  more  mani- 
fest. There  is,  first  of  all,  her  obedience  to  her  religious  obliga- 
tions. Her  faith,  like  that  of  the  Romanist,  must  be  an  un- 
questioning faith.  Woman  in  India  s.eems  never  to  have  thought 
of  looking  behind  this  Brahminical  teaching,  and  demanding  a 
“ Thus  saith  the  Lord”  for  the  peculiar  woes  to  which  she  submits. 


336 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Then  there  is  the  appeal  to  her  love  as  well  as  her  duty.  She  is 
told,  and  her  uninstructed  soul  believes  the  lie,  that  her  husband 
needs  the  attendance  and  care  in  the  other  world  which  she  lav- 
ished upon  him  here ; nay,  more,  that  he  is  actually  suffering  for 
want  of  it.  Her  terrified  imagination  is  appealed  to,  and  he  is  pict- 
ured in  a fearful  intermediate  hell — the  counterpart  of  the  Romish 
doctrine  of  Purgatory — out  of  which  her  merits  alone  can  lift  him  ; 
and  her  loving  heart  urges  her  to  the  great  effort,  which  is  to  save 
and  bless  him,  and  herself  with  him.  Again,  there  is  the  motive 
of  fame.  By  it  she  can  demonstrate  the  perfection  of  her  conjugal 
devotion  ; she  rises  from  obscurity,  before  her  friends  and  the  world, 
to  the  eminence  of  a heroine,  a saint,  a savior ; she  avoids  a life  of 
insult  and  misery,  and  the  splendid  monument  on  the  spot  where 
she  suffers  will  keep  her  name  and  memory  before  her  people  in 
future  ages. 

I was  intimate  with  a family  in  India,  the  head  of  which,  a phy- 
sician, gave  the  following  description  of  a suttee  at  which  he  was 
actually  present.  It  was  in  the  city  of  Lahore,  in  June  1839,  and 
was  witnessed  by  this  gentleman  and  some  other  Europeans.  The 
occasion  was  the  burning  of  the  body  of  the  Maharajah  Runjeet 
Singh — he  who  was  commonly  called  the  “ Lion  of  the  Punjab,” 
and  who  was  the  last  Oriental  sovereign  that  wore  the  great  Koh- 
i-noor  diamond.  (The  father  of  the  Prince  represented  on  page  47.) 
On  account  of  his  special  orders,  the  funeral  pile  was  composed  of 
an  unusual  quantity  of  the  precious  sandal-wood.  It  was  also  made 
large  enough  for  his  eleven  wives  to  burn  with  his  body.  Early  in 
the  morning,  an  immense  concourse  attending  to  witness  the  cere- 
mony, the  body  of  the  Maharajah,  decorated  and  wrapped  in  Cash- 
mere shawls,  was  brought  out  from  the  palace  and  the  procession 
formed,  the  four  Ranees  (Queens)  in  order,  unvailed,  sitting  in  open 
palanquins,  followed  by  the  seven  other  wives  on  foot,  barefooted 
— some  of  them,  the  doctor  declared,  being  not  more  than  four- 
teen or  fifteen  years  old.  Then  came  the  court,  the  officials,  the 
military,  and  the  crowd.  The  ceremonies  performed,  the  body  was 
lifted  to  the  top  of  the  great  pile  ; then  the  four  Ranees  ascended 


INSTANCES  OF  SUTTEE. 


3 37 


in  the  order  of  their  rank,  seating  themselves  at  the  head  ; the  other 
seven  placed  themselves  around  the  feet.  The  chief  widow,  now  sit- 
ting on  the  funeral  pile,  apparently  as  calm  as  any  American  mother 
on  her  dying  bed,  called  to  her  Khuruk  Singh,  the  son,  and  Dhian 
Singh,  the  favorite  minister,  of  the  Maharajah,  and,  placing  the  dead 
king’s  hand  first  in  the  hand  of  the  royal  heir,  and  then  in  the  hand 
of  the  powerful  minister,  made  them  swear  to  be  mutually  faithful. 
They  then  retired,  and  a strong,  thick  mat  of  reeds  was  placed 
around  and  over  the  ladies,  and  oil  plentifully  poured  upon  it.  There 
they  cowered  in  silent  expectation  of  the  fatal  moment.  The  brand 
was  applied  quickly,  and  the  roaring  flames  leaped  up  and  enveloped 
them,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  nothing  remained  of  the  eleven  beau- 
tiful women  but  a heap  of  bones  and  ashes.  Preparation  was  now 
made  to  convey  part  of  their  remains  to  the  Ganges.  Some  of  the 
bones  and  ashes  of  each  were  placed  in  urns  ; these  were  put  in 
separate  palanquins  richly  decorated,  and  attended  with  the  same 
pomp  and  splendor  as  if  the  Maharajah  and  his  wives  were  still 
alive.  Surrounded  by  guards  and  attendants,  and  accompanied  by 
costly  presents,  such  as  shawls,  decorated  elephants  and  horses, 
with  money,  etc.,  for  the  Brahmins,  the  procession  passed  through 
the  Delhi  gate,  amid  the  last  royal  salute  from  the  fort  and  ramparts 
of  the  city.  Here  the  minister  and  chiefs  returned,  leaving  the 
remains  and  presents  to  proceed  under  the  care  of  the  military. 
The  Brahmins  received  the  whole  on  its  arrival  at  the  Ganges. 
The  bones  and  ashes  they  put  into  the  river,  the  valuables  they 
divided  among  themselves,  and  the  guard  returned.  The  whole 
ceremony  was  one  of  the  most  extravagant  ever  seen  in  India, 
and  must,  Dr.  Honiberger  thinks,  have  cost  several  millions  of 
rupees. 

That  the  subject  may  be  fully  understood,  I will  add  two  cases  of 
suttee  where  the  victims  were  more  than  usually  willing,  and  exhib- 
ited a resolution  that  will  surprise  the  reader.  The  first  is  de- 
scribed by  an  intelligent  young  native,  who  was  the  nephew  of  the 
lady  burned.  He  gives  the  facts  from  his  Hindoo  stand-point,  yet 
with  much  simplicity  and  candor. 


388 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


He  says:  “Fearing  intervention  from  the  British  authorities,  it 
was  decided  that  this  solemn  rite,  contrary  to  the  usual  practice, 
should  be  performed  at  a distance  from  the  river-side.  The  margin 
of  the  consecrated  tank  was  selected  for  the  purpose.  After  cere- 
monies of  purification  had  been  performed  upon  the  spot,  strong 
stakes  of  bamboo  were  driven  into  the  ground,  inclosing  an  oblong 
space  about  seven  feet  in  length  and  six  in  breadth.  Within  this 
inclosure  the  pile  was  built  of  straw,  boughs,  and  logs  of  wood  ; 
upon  the  top  a small  arbor  was  constructed  of  wreathed  bamboos, 
and  this  was  hung  with  flowers  within  and  without.  About  an 
hour  after  the  sun  had  risen,  prayers  and  ablutions  having  been 
carefully  performed  by  all,  more  especially  by  the  Brahmins  and 
Lall  Radh^,  the  widow,  who  was  also  otherwise  purified  and  fitted 
for  the  sacrifice,  the  corpse  of  the  husband  was  brought  from 
the  house,  attended  by  the  administering  Brahmins,  and  surrounded 
by  the  silent  and  weeping  friends  and  relations  of  the  family. 
Immediately  following  the  corpse  came  Lall  Radha,  enveloped  in  a 
scarlet  vail,  which  completely  hid  her  beautiful  form  from  view. 
When  the  body  was  placed  upon  the  pile,  the  feet  being  toward 
the  west,  the  Brahmins  took  the  vail  from  Lall  Radha,  and,  for  the 
first  time,  the  glaring  multitude  were  suffered  to  gaze  upon  that 
lovely  face  and  form  ; but  the  holy  woman  was  too  deeply  engaged 
in  solemn  prayer  and  converse  with  Brahma  to  be  sensible  of  their 
presence,  or  of  the  murmur  of  admiration  that  ran  through  the 
crowd.  Then,  turning  with  a steady  look  and  solemn  demeanor  to 
her  relations,  she  took  from  her  person,  one  by  one,  all  her  orna- 
ments, and  distributed  them  as  tokens  of  her  love.  One  jewel  only 
she  retained,  the  tali,  or  amulet,  placed  around  her  neck  by  her 
deceased  husband  on  the  nuptial  day  ; this  she  silently  pressed  to 
her  lips.  Then,  separately  embracing  each  of  her  female  relatives, 
and  bestowing  a farewell  look  upon  the  rest,  she  unbound  her  hair, 
which  flowed  in  thick  and  shining  ringlets  almost  to  her  feet,  gave 
her  right  hand  to  the  principal  Brahmin,  who  led  her  with  cere- 
mony around  the  pile,  and  then  stopped,  with  her  face  toward  it,  on 
the  side  where  she  was  to  ascend.  Having  mounted  two  or  three 


INSTANCES  OF  SUTTEE. 


389 


steps,  the  beautiful  woman  stood  still,  and,  pressing  both  her  hands 
upon  the  cold  feet  of  her  lifeless  husband,  she  raised  them  to  her 
forehead,  in  token  of  cheerful  submission  ; she  then  ascended  and 
crept  within  the  little  arbor,  seating  herself  at  the  head  of  her  lord, 
her  right  hand  resting  upon  his  head.  The  torch  was  placed  in 
my  hand,  and,  overwhelmed  with  commingled  emotions,  I fired  the 
pile.  Smoke  and  flame  in  an  instant  enveloped  the  scene,  and 
amid  the  deafening  shouts  of  the  multitude,  I sank  senseless  upon 
the  earth.  I was  quickly  restored  to  consciousness,  but  already 
the  devouring  element  had  reduced  the  funeral  pile  to  a heap  of 
charred  and  smoldering  timber.  The  Brahmins  strewed  the  ashes 
around,  and  with  a trembling  hand  I assisted  my  father  to  gather 
the  blackened  bones  of  my.  beloved  uncle  and  aunt,  when,  having 
placed  them  in  an  earthen  vessel,  we  carried  them  to  the  Ganges, 
and  with  prayer  and  reverence  committed  them  to  the  sacred 
stream.” 

The  other,  and  the  most  determined  instance  of  suttee,  in  view 
of  her  age,  etc.,  that  is  on  record,  is  described  by  an  English  gen- 
tleman who  was  governor  of  that  part  of  the  country,  and  in 
whose  presence  it  took  place.  He  says  : “ On  receiving  charge  of 
the  District  of  Jubbulpore  in  1828,  I issued  a proclamation  prohib- 
iting any  one  from  assisting  in  suttee.  On  Tuesday,  November 
24,  1829,  I had  an  application  from  the  heads  of  the  most  respectable 
family  of  Brahmins  in  the  place  to  suffer  an  old  lady,  aged  sixty- 
five  years,  to  burn  herself  with  the  body  of  her  husband,  Omed 
Sing  Opuddea,  who  had  died  that  morning.  I threatened  to 
enforce  my  order  and  punish  severely  any  man  who  assisted,  and 
placed  a police  guard  to  see  that  no  one  did  so.  She  remained 
sitting  by  the  edge  of  the  river  with  the  body,  without  eating  or 
drinking.  The  next  day  the  body  of  her  husband  was  burned  to 
ashes  in  a small  pit,  about  eight  feet  square  and  four  deep,  before 
thousands  of  people  who  had  assembled  to  see  the  suttee.  All 
strangers  dispersed  before  evening,  as  there  seemed  no  prospects 
of  my  yielding  to  the  urgent  solicitations  of  her  family,  who,  ac- 
cording to  the  rules  of  their  faith,  dared  not  touch  food  till  she  had 


390 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


burned  herself,  or  declared  herself  willing  to  return  to  them.  Tier 
sons  and  grandsons  and  some  other  relatives  remained  with  her, 
urging  her  to  desist ; the  rest  surrounded  my  house,  urging  me  to 
allow  her  to  burn.  She  remained  sitting  upon  a bare  rock  in  the 
bed  of  the  Nerbudda,  refusing  any  subsistence,  and  exposed  to  the 
intense  heat  of  the  sun  by  day,  and  the  cold  of  the  night,  with  only 
a thin  sheet  thrown  over  her  shoulders.  On  Thursday,  to  cut  off 
all  hope  of  her  being  moved  from  her  purpose,  she  put  on  the 
dhujja,  or  coarse  red  turban,  and  broke  her  bracelets  in  pieces,  by 
which  she  became  dead  in  law,  and  forever  excluded  from  caste. 
Should  she  choose  to  live  after  this,  she  could  never  return  to  her 
family.  Her  children  and  grandchildren  were  still  with  her,  but 
all  their  entreaties  were  unavailing.  I became  satisfied  that  she 
would  starve  herself  to  death  if  not  allowed  to  burn,  by  which  her 
family  would  be  disgraced,  her  miseries  prolonged,  and  I rendered 
liable  to  be  charged  with  a wanton  abuse  of  authority,  for  no  pro- 
hibition of  the  kind  I had  issued  had  as  yet  received  the  formal 
sanction  of  the  Government.  Early  on  Saturday  morning  I rode 
out  ten  miles  to  the  spot,  and  found  the  poor  old  widow  still  sit- 
ting with  the  dhujja  around  her  head.  She  talked  very  collectedly, 
telling  me  that  ‘ she  had  determined  to  mix  her  ashes  with  those 
of  her  departed  husband,  and  she  would  patiently  wait  my  permis- 
sion to  do  so,  assured  that  God  would  enable  her  to  sustain  life  till 
that  was  given,  though  she  dared  not  eat  or  drink.’  Looking  at 
the  sun,  then  rising  before  her  over  a long  and  beautiful  reach  of 
the  Nerbudda  River,  she  said  calmly,  ‘ My  soul  has  been  for  five 
days  with  my  husband’s  near  that  sun  ; nothing  but  my  earthly 
frame  is  left,  and  this  I know  you  will  in  time  suffer  to  be  mixed 
with  the  ashes  of  his  in  yonder  pit,  because  it  is  not  in  your  nature 
or  your  usage  wantonly  to  prolong  the  miseries  of  a poor  old 
woman.’  I replied,  ‘Indeed  it  is  not;  my  object  and  duty  is  to 
save  and  preserve  them,  and  I am  come  to  dissuade  you  from  this 
idle  purpose,  to  urge  you  to  live  and  keep  your  family  from  being 
thought  your  murderers.’  She  said,  ‘ I am  not  afraid  of  their  ever 
being  so  thought  ; they  have  all,  like  good  children,  done  every 


A DETERMINED  INSTANCE  OF  SUTTEE.  39 1 

thing  in  their  power  to  induce  me  to  live  among  them,  and  if  I had 
done  so,  I know  they  would  have  loved  me  and  honored  me,  but 
my  duties  to  them  have  now  ceased.  Our  intercourse  and  com- 
munion here  end.  I go  to  attend  my  husband,  Omed  Sing  Opud- 
dea,  with  whose  ashes  on  the  funeral  pile  mine  have  been  already 
three  times  mixed.’ 

“ This  was  the  first  time  in  her  long  life  that  she  had  ever  pro- 
nounced the  name  of  her  husband  ; for  in  India  no  woman,  high  or 
low,  pronounces  her  husband’s  name.  She  would  consider  it  dis- 
respectful toward  him  to  do  so.  When  the  old  lady  named  her 
husband,  as  she  did  with  strong  emphasis,  and  in  a very  deliberate 
manner,  every  one  present  was  satisfied  she  had  resolved  to  die. 
Attain  looking:  at  the  sun,  she  said  with  a tone  and  countenance 
that  affected  me  a good  deal,  ‘ I sec  them  together  under  the  bridal 
canopy!’  alluding  to  the  ceremonies  of  marriage  ; and  I am  satis- 
fied that  she  at  that  moment  really  believed  that  she  saw  her  own 
spirit  and  that  of  her  husband  under  the  bridal  canopy  in  paradise,, 
and  equally  believed  that  she  had  been,  in  three  previous  births, 
three  times  married  to  him  on  earth,  and  as  often  had  died  with 
him,  and  must  repeat  it  now  again.  I asked  the  old  lady  when 
she  had  first  resolved  to  become  a suttee  ? She  told  me  that 
about  thirteen  years  before,  while  bathing  near  the  spot  where  she 
then  sat,  the  resolution  had  fixed  itself  in  her  mind,  as  she  looked 
at  the  splendid  temples  on  the  bank  of  the  river  erected  by  the 
different  branches  of  the  family,  over  the  ashes  of  her  female  rela- 
tives, who  had  at  different  times  become  suttees.  Two  were  over 
her  aunts,  and  another  over  her  husband’s  mother.  They  were 
very  beautiful  buildings,  erected  at  great  cost.  She  said  she  had 
never  mentioned  her  resolution  to  any  one,  till  she  called  out  Suth  ! 
suth  ! suth  ! when  her  husband  breathed  his  last,  with  his  head  in 
her  lap,  on  the  bank  of  the  Nerbudda,  to  which  he  had  been  taken, 
when  no  hopes  remained  of  his  surviving  the  fever  of  which  he 
died. 

“ I tried  to  work  upon  her  pride  and  her  fears — told  her  that  it 

was  probable  that  the  rent-free  lands,  by  which  her  family  had 

22 


392 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


been  so  long  supported,  might  be  resumed  by  the  Government,  as 
a mark  of  displeasure  against  the  children  for  not  dissuading  her 
from  the  sacrifice  ; that  the  temples  over  her  ancestors  on  the 
bank  might  be  leveled  with  the  ground,  in  order  to  prevent  their 
•operating  to  induce  others  to  make  similar  sacrifices  ; and,  lastly, 
that  not  a single  brick  or  stone  should  ever  mark  the  place  where 
she  burned,  if  she  persisted  in  her  resolution  ; but  that,  if  she  con- 
sented to  live,  a splendid  habitation  should  be  built  for  her  among 
these  temples  ; a handsome  provision  assigned  for  her  support  out 
of  these  rent-free  lands  ; her  children  should  daily  visit  her,  and 
I should  frequently  do  the  same.  She  smiled,  held  out  her  arm, 
and  said  : ‘ My  pulse  has  long  ceased  to  beat,  my  spirit  has  de- 
parted, and  I have  nothing  left  but  a little  earth  that  I wish  to  mix 
with  the  ashes  of  my  husband.  I shall  suffer  nothing  in  burning  ; 
if  you  wish  proof,  order  some  fire,  and  you  will  see  this  arm  con- 
sumed without  giving  me  any  pain.’ 

“ Satisfied  that  it  would  be  unavailing  to  save  her  life,  I sent  for 
all  the  principal  members  of  her  family,  and  consented  that  she 
should  be  suffered  to  burn  herself  if  they  would  enter  into  engage- 
ments that  no  other  member  of  their  family  should  ever  do  the 
same.  This  they  all  agreed  to  ; and  the  papers  having  been  drawn 
out  in  due  form,  about  mid-day  I sent  down  notice  to  the  old  lady, 
who  seemed  extremely  pleased  and  thankful.  The  ceremonies  of 
bathing  were  gone  through  with,  the  wood  and  other  materials  for 
a strong  fire  collected  and  put  into  the  pit.  She  then  rose  up,  and, 
with  one  arm  on  the  shoulder  of  her  eldest  son,  and  the  other  on 
her  nephew,  she  approached  the  fire.  I had  sentries  placed  all 
around,  and  no  one  else  was  allowed  to  go  within  five  paces  of  it. 
As  she  rose  up  fire  was  set  to  the  pile,  and  it  was  instantly  in  a 
blaze.  The  distance  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  She 
came  on  with  a calm  and  cheerful  countenance,  stopped  once,  and, 
casting  her  eyes  upward,  said  : ‘ Why  have  they  kept  me  five  days 
from  thee,  my  husband  ? ’ On  reaching  the  sentries  her  supporters 
stopped  ; she  advanced,  walked  once  round  the  pit,  paused,  and, 
while  muttering  a prayer,  threw  some  flowers  into  the  fire.  She 


ABOLISHED  AT  LENGTH  BY  LORD  BENT INCH. 


393 


then  walked  deliberately  and  steadily  to  the  brink,  stepped  into  the 
center  of  the  flame,  sat  down,  and  leaning  back  in  the  midst,  as  if 
reposing  upon  a couch,  was  consumed,  without  uttering  a shriek  or 
betraying  one  sign  of  agony  ! ” 

In  another  part  of  the  country  a most  affecting  instance  occurred. 
A young  princess  named  Mutcha  Bae  lost  first  her  son  and  then 
her  husband.  She  resolved  upon  being  burned  with  the  corpse  of 
the  latter,  and  met  the  remonstrance  of  her  own  mother,  the  excel- 
lent Alia  Bae,  who  begged  that  she  might  not  be  left  thus  alone 
and  desolate  in  the  world,  by  saying,  “ You  are  old,  mother,  and  a 
few  years  will  terminate  your  pious  life.  My  husband  and  my  only 
child  are  gone,  and  when  you  follow,  life,  I feel,  will  be  insupporta- 
ble, and  the  opportunity  of  closing  it  with  honor  will  then  have 
passed.”  Nothing  could  alter  her  purpose  ; and  the  royal  mother, 
finding  she  could  not  prevail  on  her  child  to  consent  to  live,  resolved 
to  witness  her  beloved  daughter’s  suttee.  She  joined  the  cruel  pro- 
cession and  stood  close  to  the  pile  : two  Brahmins  held  her  by  the 
arms.  She  bore  it  all  till  the  flames  rose  round  her  beautiful  child, 
when  she  lost  all  her  self-control ; she  shrieked  with  anguish,  while 
the  crowd  shouted  ; and  her  hands,  which  she  could  not  liberate, 
she  actually  gnawed  in  agony.  By  great  effort  she  so  far  regained 
her  self-possession  as,  after  the  bodies  were  consumed,  to  join  in 
the  ceremony  of  bathing  in  the  Nerbudda.  Then  she  retired  to 
her  palace,  and  for  three  days  she  fasted  in  her  deep  grief,  never 
uttering  a word.  She  subsequently  sought  relief  in  erecting  a 
beautiful  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  dear  departed.  Such 
monuments,  the  tombs  of  suttees,  varying  in  size  and  form,  yet 
generally  pyramidal,  are  seen  along  the  banks  of  the  different 
sacred  rivers.. 

At  length  this  terrible  crime,  which  the  edicts  and  energy  of 
such  emperors  as  Akbar  and  Aurungzebe  could  not  restrain,  trem- 
bled before  the  cross  of  Christ.  The  Protestant  missionary  entered 
India,  and  stood  up  to  “ plead  for  the  widow.”  Before  the  blessed 
Name  wh'ich  he  invoked,  the  demon  of  suttee  feared  and  fled 
from  British  India.  What  Veda,  and  Shaster,  and  Menu,  Moham- 


394 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


medan  Emperor  and  European  governor,  all  failed  to  prevent  or 
terminate,  in  the  long  experience  of  twenty-five  centuries,  was 
effected  by  the  beneficent  religion  of  Him  who,  in  every  age  and 
in  every  land,  has  proved  himself  to  be  woman’s  greatest  and  truest 
friend. 

The  honored  man  who  signed  the  prohibitory  edict  which  ended 
this  awful  crime  was  Lord  William  Bentinck.  He  bore  unappalled 
the  brunt  of  native  and  European  opposition.  The  highest  English 
functionaries  expressed  their  forebodings  of  danger  from  its  forcible 
suppression,  and  the  Brahmins  protested  and  defended  it,  as  a re- 
ligious rite  that  must  not  be  meddled  with.  Amid  this  storm  of 
opposition  and  fears,  and  sustained  by  the  sympathy  and  prayers  of 
the  missionaries  and  other  good  men,  his  Lordship,  on  the  4th  of 
December,  1829,  signed  the  act  which  ended  this  outrage  on  human 
nature  and  the  laws  of  God.  Widow-burning  prevails  still,  to  some 
extent,  in  those  provinces  of  India  not  under  the  direct  govern- 
ment of  England.  Two  notable  cases  were  recorded  while  I was  in 
India — one  in  March,  1858,  in  the  city  of  Aurungabad,  in  the  do- 
minions of  the  Nizam,  and  the  other  in  August,  1859,  at  Koonghur. 
But  the  flag  of  Britain  no  longer  waves  over  a suttee,  and  the  gov- 
ernors are  doing  what  they  can  to  induce  the  native  Princes  to  com- 
plete its  suppression. 

Lord  Bentinck  visited  Behrole  in  1832,  in  company  with  General 
Sleeman,  and,  pointing  to  some  magnificent  tombs  of  suttees,  asked 
what  they  were.  When  told,  he  remained  silent ; but  he  must  have 
felt  at  the  moment  the  proud  consciousness  of  the  debt  of  gratitude 
which  India  and  India’s  daughters  owe  to  the  statesman  who  had 
the  Christian  courage  to  put  a stop  to  the  great  evil  in  spite  of  the 
fearful  obstacles  that  opposed  him. 

O,  Christian  women  of  America ! amid  your  happy  homes,  and  the 
exalted  privileges  and  honor  with  which  the  Cross  has  surrounded 
you,  remember  your  sisters  who  are  still  in  the  bonds  of  this  cruel 
idolatry  ! Urge  on  and  extend  the  missions  that  are  toiling  there, 
until  they  penetrate  to  the  very  last  of  “ the  dark  places'”  of  India, 
where  “ the  habitations  of  cruelty”  still  erect  the  suttee  ; and  there 


A group  of  Thugs.  — From  a Photograph. 


THE  TIIUG8.  397 

let  them,  in  Jesus’s  name,  “relieve  the  oppressed,  judge  the  father- 
less, and  plead  for  the  widow.” 

Meanwhile,  let  us  bless  God  for  that  wonderful  victory  of  Chris- 
tian civilization  in  1857-58  over  Brahminical  rebels,  who,  had  they 
triumphed,  would  most  surely  have  rekindled  the  fires  in  which,  as 
in  former  days,  the  daughters  of  India  would  again  have  had  to 
mount  their  chariots  of  flame,  to  be  borne,  not  to  their  Vedic  heav- 
en, but  before  the  tribunal  of  Him  who  has  forbidden  self-murder, 
because  he  “ will  have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice,”  and  who  declares  to 
the  deluded  suttee,  as  to  the  wayward  sinner,  “ I have  no  pleasure 
in  the  death  of  him  that  dieth.” 

In  all  lands,  but  especially  in  a country  like  India,  with  the  mill- 
ions utterly  uneducated,  and  debased  in  conscience  and  morals, 
there  are  “ dangerous  classes,”  who  live  by  fraud  and  violence,  and 
who  are  ever  ready  for  any  opportunity  of  plunder  and  crime  that 
may  occur. 

But  in  India  there  exists  what  is  not  found  elsewhere  on  earth, 
a class  of  men  whose  trade  is  blood,  who  follow  murder  as  a pro- 
fession, and  even  perform  it  as  a religious  duty ! The  Thugs  for 
centuries  have 

“Laughed  at  human  nature  and  compassion.” 

Their  organization  was  complete  ; they  were  bound  to  each  other 
by  oaths  and  engagements  as  relentless  as  death  and  as  heartless 
as  hell.  Their  accessions  were  from  the  worst  of  all  classes  ; the 
perfection  of  villainy  became  a Thug. 

I present  here  seven  members  of  this  infernal  association,  whom 
I have  seen  in  India.  Every  man  of  the  group  is  a murderer,  and 
a murderer,  not  by  the  heat  of  passion,  or  revenge,  or  the  stimulus 
of  strong  drink,  but  a cool,  sober,  unexcited  trader  in  human  life, 
whose  conscience  knows  no  remorse,  because  he  regards  himself  as 
rendering  in  the  act  the  highest  service  to  his  chosen  deity ! 

One  day,  at  Agra,  I had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  these  mon- 
sters. The  English  Government  have  a special  police  and  staff — 
one  of  the  most  perfect  detective  systems  in  the  world — for  the 
capture  of  these  wretches.  At  the  head  of  this  “ Thuggee  De- 


39§ 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


partment”  was  Colonel  Williams — he  whom  Government  employed 
to  take  the  evidence  of  the  Cawnpore  Massacre.  A number  of 
ladies,  among  whom  was  Mrs.  Havelock,  the  General’s  sister-in- 
law,  expressed  a desire  to  visit  the  Taj  that  afternoon.  The  court- 
eous Colonel  offered  to  escort  us,  and  on  our  return  casually 
remarked,  as  we  crossed  the  road  from  the  Taj,  “ Come,  and  I will 
show  you  something  else.”  So  he  turned  down  an  ominous-look- 
ing portal,  and  we  followed  him  through  the  guarded  gate  into  a 
square  with  high  walls,  and  thence  by  a gloomy  passage  into  an- 
other inclosed  court,  where  were  a group  of  some  of  the  most  awful- 
looking  men  that  I had  ever  seen.  The  Colonel  coolly  remarked, 
“These  are  some  of  my  pets.”  In  a moment  we  realized  where 
we  were  standing,  three  gentlemen  and  a party  of  ladies  unguarded, 
in  the  very  presence  of  nearly  two  hundred  Thugs  ! It  made  one’s 
flesh  creep.  The  feeling  was  dreadful,  and  the  situation  was  not 
at  all  relieved,  when,  in  retiring  again  through  the  long,  dark  pas- 
sage, a number  of  these  wretches  came  clanking  close  after  us,  to 
plead  in  the  outer  court  for  some  concession  from  the  Colonel. 
The  ladies  of  the  party  could  hardly  forgive  our  gallant  escort  for 
the  trick  he  played  upon  them  in  leading  them  into  such  a pres- 
ence, and  that,  too,  after  coming  out  of  the  Taj.  It  seemed  like 
leaving  paradise  and  descending  into  hell  among  those  who,  in 
chains  and  darkness,  await  the  judgment  of  the  great  day! 

The  Colonel  permitted  a photograph  to  be  taken  of  some  of  the 
most  notorious  of  his  collection.  They  were  unshackled,  and 
brought  into  the  parlor  of  the  prison  for  the  purpose.  He  pointed 
out  one  man  (the  one  in  front,  on  the  left  hand  in  the  picture) 
who  had  confessed  to  having  committed  thirty  murders,  and  who 
had  given  him  the  details  of  each  ! And  yet  every  one  of  these 
heartless  villains  were  let  loose  upon  society  when  the  Sepoys  rose, 
and  since  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion  the  Thuggee  Depart- 
ment has  had  a busy  time  in  ferreting  them  out  and  recapturing 
them. 

Sixty  years  ago  these  men  plied  their  dreadful  trade  almost  un- 
molested. The  native  Governments  could  not  cope  with  them. 


DIVINE  SANCTION  FOR  T1IU00EEISM. 


399 


They  infested  the  public  roads  disguised  as  merchants,  travelers, 
and  Fakirs,  but  always  in  gangs,  each  man  knowing  his  part  of  the 
service  when  the  moment  came  for  action. 

If  any  thing  further  were  possible  to  add  a more  damning  char- 
acter to  these  deeds  of  blood  it  is  found  in  the  fact  that  Hindoo 
Thuggeeism  has  dared  to  add  a divine  acquiescence  to  these  prac- 
tices ; for  their  abominable  creed  has  furnished  a suitable  patron 
to  accept  and  delight  in  the  groans  and  dying  agonies  of  their 
wretched  victims. 

* The  consort  of  Shiva — the  third  member  of  the  Hindoo  Trimurti 
— the  female  Moloch,  to  whose  horrid  appetite  for  blood,  and  hun- 
ger for  the  human  lives  on  which  she  is  represented  as  feeding, 
with  a desire  that  is  insatiate,  is  the  being  to  appease  and  gratify 
whom  the  benighted  mothers  of  India  have  for  ages  sacrificed  their 
daughters’  lives,  and  her  adorers,  these  Thugs,  have  strangled  the 
thousands  whom  they  have  immolated.  Her  name  is  Kalee.  She 
is  the  most  popular  deity  of  Bengal — the  etymology  of  the  name 
of  the  metropolis  of  India  being  derived  from  her  designation  and 
shrine — Kalee,  and  Ghat,  a place  of  ablution — Kalee’s-ghat — hence 
Calcutta. 

Of  this  abominable  idol  the  Kalika  Purana  declares,  in  de- 
scribing her  appetite  for  blood  and  carnage  : “ If  a devotee  should 
scorch  some  member  of  his  body  by  applying  a burning  lamp,  the 
act  would  be  very  acceptable  to  the  goddess  ; if  he  should  draw 
some  of  his  blood  and  present  it,  it  would  be  still  more  delectable  ; 
if  he  should  cut  off  some  portion  of  his  own  flesh  and  present  it  as 
a burnt-offering,  that  would  be  most  grateful  of  all.  But  if  the 
worshiper  should  present  her  a whole  burnt-offering,  it  would  prove 
acceptable  to  her  in  proportion  to  the  supposed  importance  of  the 
animated  beings  thus  immolated — that,  for  instance,  by  the  blood 
of  fishes  or  tortoises,  the  goddess  is  gratified  for  a whole  month 
after ; a crocodile’s  blood  will  please  her  three  months  ; that  of 
certain  wild  animals  nine  months  ; a guana’s,  a year ; an  antelope’s, 
twelve  years  ; a rhinoceros’s,  or  tiger’s  blood,  for  a hundred  years  ; 
but  the  blood  of  a lion,  or  a man,  will  delight  her  appetite  for  a 


400 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


thousand  years  ! while  by  the  blood  of  three  men,  slain  in  sacrifice, 
she  is  pleased  a hundred  thousand  years  !” 

This  is  the  patroness  of  these  Thugs,  these  professional  murder- 
ers, who,  when  their  victim  is  in  the  agonies  of  strangulation  be- 
neath their  knees,  on  the  ground,  are  engaging  in  acts  of  prayer — 
offering  to  Ivalee  the  life  that  is  passing  away — and  to  this  abomi- 
nation, thus  said  to  feed  on  the  human  soul,  have  the  mothers 
of  India  for  ages  immolated  their  daughters  ! 

So  popular  is  she  and  her  worship,  that  even  the  English  Gov- 
ernment cannot  keep  the  public  offices  open  during  the  term  of’ 
the  “ Durga-Poojah”  holy  days,  from  the  first  to  the  thirteenth  of 
October,  for  all  Calcutta  then  runs  mad  upon  this  idolatry.  I 
have  seen  her  image,  larger  than  the  human  form,  painted  blue, 
with  her  tongue  represented  as  dripping  with  gore  upon  her  chin, 
her  bosom  covered  with  a necklace  of  human  skulls,  and  her  many 
arms  each  bearing  a murderous  weapon,  carried  in  proud  proces- 
sion through  the  streets  of  Calcutta  during  those  holidays,  ac- 
companied by  bands  of  music  and  tens  of  thousands  of  frantic 
followers. 

Of  this  teaching  and  worship  Thuggeeism  was  the  natural  re- 
sult, combining  rapine  with  religion,  the  service  of  their  goddess 
with  love  of  plunder — the  life  for  her,  the  booty  for  themselves.  It 
raised  ruffianism  to  the  dignity  of  a fulfillment  of  duty,  and  swelled 
the  numbers  of  these  religious  murderers  to  a fearful  height,  till  the 
public  thoroughfares  were  haunted  by  these  wretches,  as  well  as 
by  the  brigands  and  plunderers  who  imitated  them  in  their  lesser 
guilt.  It  was  on  the  discovery  of  thirty  dead  bodies  in  different 
wells  of  the  Doab,  (when  these  assassins  had  grown  to  be  so  reck- 
less in  their  work  that  they  were  ceasing  to  act  with  their  usual 
caution  in  burying  and  concealing  the  bodies  of  their  victims,)  that 
Thuggeeism  was  first  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  English 
Government  in  iSiopand  so  determined  were  the  measures  taken 
by  them  for  its  suppression,  and  so  faithfully  have  they  since  been 
followed  up,  that  the  Thug  had  to  disappear  from  the  roads  of 
British  India,  and  confine  his  limited  depredations  within  the 


W1IAT  THE  CONFLICT  INVOLVED. 


401 


bounds  of  native  States,  where  English  law  cannot  penetrate. 
Hundreds  of  them  were  ferreted  out,  and  are  now  confined  for  life 
within  the  walls  of  safe  jails.  The  Government  presses  upon  the 
rulers  of  native  States  the  necessity  of  imitating  English  example 
in  this  regard.  But,  while  willing  to  follow  the  friendly  advice  of 
the  paramount  power,  they  have  not  yet  the  nerve  and  energy  ol 
the  Anglo-Saxon,  to  accomplish  its  complete  extirpation. 

Even  as  late  as  the  days  of  Bishop  Heber  (1825)  the  common 
people  went  to  market  armed  with  swords  and  shields  and  spears 
and  matchlocks.  Just  as  I have  seen  the  plowman  in  Oude,  at  the 
time  of  the  annexation,  with  his  sword  by  his  side  and  his  friends 
within  view — such  was  the  public  apprehension  of  the  lawless  and 
violent,  by  whom  life  and  property  might  at  any  moment  be  assailed. 
What  a change  has  the  presence  of  the  English  magistrate  made 
all  over  the  land,  within  twenty-five  years ! Very  justly  does  a 
native  writer  remark  : “ The  trader  and  traveler  now  pass  along  the 
loneliest  highway  without  losing  a pin.  If  a corpse  were  now  dis- 
covered in  a well,  or  found  by  the  side  of  a jungle,  it  would  cause  a 
general  uproar  in  the  community,  and  create  a greater  sensation 
than  the  irruption  of  a Mahratta  horde.  The  wicked  have  been 
weaned  from  their  life  of  rapine,  and  taught  to  subordinate  them- 
selves to  the  authorities  of  society  and  the  State.” 

Over  and  above  all  these  elements  of  wrath  and  hatred  might  be 
enumerated  the  “ Budmashes,”  “ Dacoits,”  “ Goojurs,”  and  criminal 
classes  generally,  with  all  the  disaffected  elements  of  every  kind, 
who  only  needed  the  sanction  of  their  Brahmins  and  Fakirs,  and 
the  leading  of  the  Sepoys,  to  be  ready  for  every  evil  work  against 
law,  reform,  and  government.  The  reader,  from  these  conditions 
of  society,  can  easily  divine  for  himself  the  causes  and  motives  of 
the  great  Sepoy  Rebellion.  He  can  see  what  classes,  and  how 
many,  regarded  it  with  terror  and  detestation,  and  what  classes 
reveled  in  its  developments,  and  by  what  purposes  they  were 
actuated. 

Can  any  just  and  adequate  interpretation  be  put  upon  this  terri- 
ble conflict,  that  does  not  acknowledge  that  its  life  and  soul  was  the 


402 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


religious  question  ? The  Rebellion  was  Heathenism — vile,  selfish, 
and  cruel — trembling  for  its  very  existence  and  goaded  to  retalia- 
tion, rising  up  in  its  hour  of  opportunity  against  the  Christian  civ- 
ilization, whose  increasing  reforms  and  enlightenment  manifestly 
knew  no  limit  save  the  overthrow  of  every  wrong,  and  the  removal 
of  every  error,  in  India.  It  was  the  irrepressible  and  inevitable 
conflict  of  light  with  darkness  ; it  was  the  Christian  knowledge  and 
saving  faith  of  the  nineteenth  century  mightily  wrestling  with  ven- 
erable ignorance  and  licentious  idolatry  for  the  possession  of  the 
bright  Land  of  the  Veda,  and  for  perpetual  supremacy  over  its 
200,000,000  of  men  ! The  prize  and  the  agony  for  its  possession 
were  correspondent ; and  God  defended  the  right. 

III.  Yes  ; for  God  and  his  providence  must  be  acknowledged  here 
as  we  search  for  the  causes  of  this  great  conflict.  On  how  many 
of  its  facts,  as  well  as  its  precious  results,  is  written,  “ This  is  the 
finger  of  God  ! ” The  permissive  providence  which  allowed  this 
terrible  calamity  to  fall  upon  the  English  in  India,  was,  even  by 
their  own  subsequent,  contrite  acknowledgment,  only  what  their 
sins  deserved.  It  is  consistent  with  all  that  we  know  of  the  divine 
government  to  suppose  that  the  Almighty  must  have  taken  cogni- 
zance of  their  compromises  of  his  truth,  of  their  patronage  of  idol- 
atry, of  their  repression  of  his  Christianity,  so  as  to  keep  it  away 
from  a people  who  needed  it  so  much.  He  knew  that  if  such  a 
course  was  to  continue  unchecked  India  could  not  be  saved  for 
long  centuries  to  come.  He  was  resolved  that  caste  and  idolatry 
must  be  overthrown  ; and  if  Englishmen  dared  to  prop  up  the  God- 
dishonoring systems,  they  must  feel  the  blow  which  dashed  those 
systems  to  pieces. 

I need  not  enumerate  their  national  sins  in  India — they  have 
done  so  themselves.  As  I write,  the  pamphlets  are  before  me 
which  contain  their  petitions  to  their  Queen  and  Parliament,  signed 
by  multitudes  of  the  best  men  of  Britain,  acknowledging  before 
God  and  the  world,  in  the  hour  of  their  national  agony,  how 
unworthy  and  responsible  they  felt  themselves  to  be  for  the 
sins  and  shortcomings  of  their  rule  in  India,  and  how  earnestly 


ENGLAND'S  CONFESSION  OF  1IER  SINS. 


403 


they  pleaded  with  their  Government  to  reform  what  was  wrong  in 
the  administration  of  India,  and  act  henceforth  on  Christian  princi- 
ples in  the  rule  of  that  land.  Here  is  what  these  people  said  in 
1857  in  their  Memorial  to  Parliament: 

“ By  professing  to  be  neutral  among  the  various  religions  of  its 
Indian  subjects,  the  Government  has  in  effect  denied  the  truth,  and 
given  a great  moral  advantage  to  those  foolish,  wicked,  and  degrad- 
ing systems  to  which  the  great  bulk  of  the  people  adhere.  Nor 
has  the  advantage  thus  given  been  merely  moral.  Idolatry  has 
formerly  been,  and  to  some  extent  still  is,  publicly  patronized  and 
subsidized.  Its  immodest  and  cruel  rites  have  been  honored  with 
the  attendance  of  Government  officers,  and  paid  for  from  funds 
under  Government  control.  The  system  of  Caste,  which,  in  every 
part  of  it,  contradicts  and  counteracts  the  Christian  religion,  has 
been  recognized  in  Government  arrangements  for  the  administra- 
tion of  justice,  as  well  as  in  the  organization  of  the  army,  and  selfish 
humanity  and  contempt  of  their  fellow-men  and  subjects,  have  thus 
received  the  highest  official  sanction.  The  Government  has  dis- 
couraged the  teaching  of  the  Christian  religion  to  certain  classes 
of  its  subjects,  and  made  the  profession  of  it,  in  a sense,  penal,  by 
placing  some  who  have  been  turned  from  idols  to  serve  the  living 
and  true  God  under  disabilities  to  which  they  were  not,  before  their 
conversion,  liable.  And,  while  allowing  the  Koran  and  the  Shaster 
to  be  freely  used,  it  has  forbidden  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, or  even  the  answering  of  spontaneous  inquiries  respecting 
their  contents,  during  school  hours,  in  the  educational  institutions 
which  it  supports.  In  all  these  instances  the  Indian  Government, 
though  professing  neutrality  in  matters  of  religion,  has  practically 
countenanced  and  favored  falsehood  and  wickedness  of  the  most 
flagitious  kind.” 

They  here  quote  dispatches  of  the  East  India  Company,  who  had 
ruled  India  for  a hundred  years,  in  proof  of  the  foregoing  statements, 
and  als.o  refer  to  facts  well  known  in  India — such  as  Lord  Clive  per- 
sonally attending  a heathen  festival  at  Conjeveram,  and  present- 
ing an  ornament  to  the  idol  worth  1,050  pagodas,  ($1,850;)  Lord 


404 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Auckland,  another  Governor  General,  offering  2,000  rupees  ($1,000) 
at  the  Muttra  shrine,  and  being  highly  praised  in  a native  newspa- 
per for  his  piety!  Lord  Ellenborough,  in  1842,  ordering  the  gates 
of  the  Temple  of  Somnath  (carried  off  by  a Mohammedan  con- 
queror eight  hundred  centuries  ago)  to  be  carried  back  hundreds 
of  miles,  with  military  honors,  and  his  issuing  a proclamation, 
announcing  the  heathenish  act,  “ to  all  the  Princes,  Chiefs,  and 
People  of  India.”  They  also  refer  to  the  conduct  of  Lord  Dal- 
housie,  later  still,  paying  reverence  to  an  idol,  by  changing  his  dress 
on  entering  the  heathen  temple  of  Umritsur,  and  making  an  offer- 
ing to  it  of  5,000  rupees,  ($2,500.)  These  things  were  done  by 
Indian  Viceroys,  while  Government  servants  were  required  to  col- 
lect pilgrims’  tax,  administer  the  estates  of  idol  temples,  and  pay 
allowances  to  officials  connected  with  heathen  shrines  ; and  even 
military  officers  had  to  parade  troops  and  present  arms  in  honor  of 
idol  processions  ! 

These  things  were  so.  The  writer  has  seen  (and  could  give  the 
name  of  the  place,  and  of  the  commanding  officer  responsible)  Brit- 
ish cannon  loaned,  and  ammunition  supplied,  to  fire  a salute  in 
honor  of  a heathen  idol,  and  that  on  the  holy  Sabbath  day  ! Chris- 
tian Englishmen  in  India  groaned  over  these  acts,  officers  in  the 
army  threw  up  their  commissions  sooner  than  obey  such  orders, 
and  men  in  high  positions  protested  against  them  as  sins  of  the 
deepest  dye,  fearing  that  God  would  “visit  for  these  things,”  and 
appealed  to  the  British  public  to  stop  the  madness  of  the  East 
India  Company  and  their  servants  in  India.  When  I entered  India 
there  was  not  over  one  native  Christian  in  Government  employ  in 
all  the  North-west  Provinces.  While  that  very  year  the  only  Sepoy 
who,  up  to  that  time,  had  ever  become  a Christian  (save  one,  men- 
tioned by  Heber,  who  was  also  dismissed)  was,  by  order  of  the 
Governor-General,  removed  from  the  army  because  he  had  become 
a Christian,  and  the  commanding  officer  and  the  civil  judge  who 
attended  at  the  baptism  were  reproved  by  his  Excellency  for  doing 
so  ! His  object,  in  this  mistaken  policy,  was  to  prevent  the  discus- 
sion and  prejudice  which  would  result,  and  convince  the  Sepoy 


HONESTY  IS  THE  BEST  POLICY. 


405 


army  how  fully  his  administration  would  sustain  the  doctrine  of 
“ neutrality.”  But  what  must  Almighty  God  have  thought  of  such 
conduct,  and  that,  too,  on  the  part  of  men  who  went  to  Church  on 
Sunday,  and  professed  to  be  members  of  a State  Establishment  of 
Christianity ! 

The  patience  of  Him  who  will  “not  give  his  glory  to  another, 
nor  his  praise  to  graven  images,”  was  about  exhausted  with  that 
proud  company  and  their  policy,  and  the  Parliament  of  England 
and  its  Christian  people  were  already  preparing  the  overthrow  of 
both,  and  deliberately  making  up  their  minds  to  the  introduction 
of  a more  Christian  and  manly  administration  of  Indian  affairs. 
The  petitioners  end  their  Memorial,  earnestly  pleading  that  these 
Government  sins  should  cease,  and  India  be  henceforth  ruled  in  a 
wav  more  worthy  of  the  duty  which  Christian  England  owes  to 
that  people. 

Their  confession  and  humiliation  was  candid  and  sincere,  and  in 
the  hour  of  their  deep  distress  God  was  entreated  for  the  land. 
Defeat  was  soon  after  turned  to  victory.  He  saved  them  from 
among  the  heathen.  God  came  to  their  aid,  not  in  the  infidel, 
Bonapartist  sense,  in  which  he  is  said  to  be  “ on  the  side  of  the 
strongest  battalions,”  for  here  he  clearly  was  on  the  side  of  the 
weaker,  and  gave  the  victory  to  the  “ few  ” instead  of  the  “ many.” 

No  Government  ever  committed  a greater  mistake  than  the 
East  India  Company  did  when  it  adopted  this  “neutrality”  policy. 
The  result  was,  it  laid  itself  open  to  the  charge  of  underhand 
designs  for  the  overthrow  of  the.  popular  faith — for  the  people  could 
not  imagine  a Government  without  a religion — and  it  was  conse- 
quently disbelieved  and  distrusted,  while  the  Christian  mission- 
aries, who  boldly  and  openly  denounced  idolatry,  and  invited  the 
people  kindly  and  candidly  to  embrace  Christianity,  were  under- 
stood, and  even  trusted,  by  the  masses.  So  marked  was  this  fact, 
that  in  the  panic  at-  Benares,  and  when  the  vanguard  of  Havelock’s 
troops  were  passing  through,  and  extra  supplies  were  urgently 
required,  the  Government  officials  could  not  induce  the  villagers 
around  to  bring  them  in  ; a very  serious  condition  of  things  was 


406 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


arising.  In  the  emergency  a Christian  missionary,  Mr.  Leupolt, 
could  do  what  the  commissariat  officers  failed  to  effect.  He  went 
out  among  the  villagers — heathens,  to  whom  he  had  often  preached 
on  the  guilt  and  danger  of  their  idolatry — and  told  them  what  the 
Government  needed.  The  people  asked  him  if  he  would  give  his 
word  that  they  should  be  justly  treated  if  they  furnished  what  was 
needed?  He  said  he  would.  Without  more  ado  they  loaded  their 
hackeries,  and  accompanied  him  to  the  city,  and  furnished  all  that 
was  required.  This  I know  to  be  a fact.  A similar  instance  is  on 
record  in  the  experience  of  Missionary  Swartz  in  the  south  of  India. 

Honesty  is  the  best  policy.  If  the  India  Government  had  acted 
on  it  they  would  not  have  exposed  themselves  to  the  retort  of 
Rajah  Janaryan,  of  Benares,  a liberal  and  wealthy  friend  of  native 
education,  who,  when  a Christian  physician,  who  had  raised  him 
up  from  a severe  illness,  urged  the  claims  of  the  Gospel  upon  his 
mind,  the  Rajah  at  first  seemed  disposed  to  yield  ; but  presently, 
on  reflection,  he  stifled  his  convictions  by  the  remark,  “ Sir,  had 
the  Christian  religion  been  true,  the  Company  Bahadur  [the  Gov- 
ernment] which  has,  in  other  respects,  benefited  my  country,  would 
not  have  withheld  from  at  least  commending  this  religion  to  our 
notice ! ” 

Sir  John  Lawrence  was  Governor  of  the  Punjab  when  the  Rebel- 
lion broke  out ; the  elements  around  him  were  as  energetic,  and 
some  of  them  as  dangerous,  as  any  in  India.  He  had  been  supe- 
rior to  the  policy  of  his  masters,  and  would  insist  on  favoring  Mis- 
sionaries and  the  Bible  in  the  schools.  What  was  the  result  of 
this  open  and  candid  course,  even  in  the  hour  when  all  around 
them  had  fallen  ? The  missionaries  waited  upon  him  to  say  that, 
if  their  public  preaching  in  the  streets  of  Lahore  was  any  embar- 
rassment in  the  condition  of  the  country,  they  were  ready  to  pause 
for  a season,  if  he  thought  it  requisite  to  do  so.  His  prompt  reply, 
which  will  be  a lasting  honor  to  him,  was,  “ No,  gentlemen  ; prose- 
cute your  preaching  and  missionary  enterprises  just  as  usual. 
Christian  things,  done  in  a Christian  way,  will  never  alienate  the 
heathen.”  They  acted  on  his  advice,  and  did  not  preach  a sermon 


ANOTHER  DIVINE  INTERPOSITION.  40 7 

the  less  for  the  Rebellion.  Though  all  India  around  them  had 
“gone,”  their  Punjab  stood  firm,  and  even  supplied  the  men  and 
means  for  sustaining  the  siege  of  Delhi,  till  it  fell,  and  the  Govern- 
ment was  fully  restored.  The  East  India  Company  was  abolished, 
amid  the  contempt  of  all  good  men,  and  even  of  the  candid  hea- 
then ; while  this  very  man,  Sir  John  Lawrence,  was  chosen  by  the 
Queen  to  be  Viceroy  of  India,  to  introduce  that  better  and  more 
Christian  condition  of  things  which  prevails  there  to-day!  What 
an  illustration  of  the  promise,  “ Them  that  honor  me  I will  honor, 
and  they  that  despise  me  shall  be  lightly  esteemed!” 

At  the  close  of  September  the  insurrection  between  Mooltan 
and  Ferozepore  suddenly  stopped  all  mails,  and  we  were  left  for  a 
time  without  any  further  news.  Just  then  our  implacable  foe, 
Khan  Bahadur,  made  his  last  fierce  effort  for  our  destruction. 
For  a few  days  our  anxiety  was  terrible.  The  force  at  Bareilly 
had  been  augmented  by  the  arrival  there  of  the  Nana  Sahib,  and 
their  rage  had  risen  with  the  spirit  and  character  of  their  visitor, 
and  the  followers  he  brought  to  their  aid.  Of  course  he  advised 
our  destruction,  and  it  was  attempted  by  the  largest  force  hitherto 
sent  against  us,  consisting,  it  was  said,  of  over  one  thousand  cav- 
alry and  four  thousand  infantry.  They  came  to  the  Huldwanee 
side  of  our  position  for  their  attack,  but  our  trust  was  still  in  the 
“ God  of  battles  so  there  we  stood,  calmly  awaiting  the  result. 
Few  as  we  were,  we  knew  that  there  was  succor,  in  which  “they 
that  be  with  us  are  more  than  they  that  be  with  them.”  (2  Kings  vi.) 

The  help  of  Providence  is  not  less  certain  or  near  because  it  is 
invisible.  It  was  “a  day  of  trouble,  and  of  rebuke  and  blas- 
phemy.” This  modern  Sennacherib  had  come  up  to  cut  off  “ the 
remnant  that  are  left,”  full  of  rage  at  Christ  and  his  people.  His 
blasphemies  against  the  Lord’s  Anointed  doubtless  exceeded  in 
bitterness  the  reproaches  of  the  Assyrian  king,  and  with  similar 
pride  and  confidence  he  said,  “ With  my  multitude  I am  come  up 
to  the  height  of  the  mountains,  to  the  sides  of  Lebanon,  and  I will 
cut  down  the  tall  cedar  trees  thereof,  and  the  choice  fir  trees 
thereof,  and  I will  enter  into  the  lodgings  of  his  borders,  and  into 


408 


TUE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


the  forest  of  his  Carmel.”  (2  Kings  xviii,  19.)  He  would,  we  knew, 
if  God  allowed  him,  but  not  otherwise.  Yet  this  haughty  spirit 
was  the  precursor  of  his  own  destruction. 

Of  course  he  kept  us  in  distress  and  excitement,  and  this  was 
intensified  by  the  cutting  off  of  our  mails,  so  that  we  could  get  no 
information.  For  a few  days  we  could  but  fear  the  worst.  How 
we  longed  for  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Delhi,  and  for  the  relief  that 
would  come  when  that  was  accomplished  ! But  God  was  working 
out  our  salvation  in  his  own  way,  and  in  the  height  of  this  very 
emergency  one  of  his  most  manifest  interpositions  was  developed. 
A few  days  after  their  arrival  this  powerful  force,  by  some  unac- 
countable influence,  suddenly  decamped,  without  doing  us  the 
smallest  injury.  Our  spies  brought  us  word  that  every  one  of 
them  had  fled,  and,  on  some  of  us  going  down,  we  found  that  they 
had  evidently  left,  not  merely  in  a hurry,  but  in  a panic,  for  the 
heel  ropes  of  the  cavalry  horses,  instead  of  being  untied  and  taken 
with  them,  were  all  found  cut  and  left  fast  to  the  stakes ! The 
only  way  we  could  account  for  it  was  a report  which  was  said  to 
have  reached  them  that  we  were  going  down  to  surprise  them 
with  immensely  augmented  numbers.  Be  this  as  it  may,  they  left 
suddenly  and  went  back  to  Bareilly. 

The  old  Nawab  was  outrageous  at  their  return,  and  insisted 
upon  a renewal  of  the  effort ; but  a terror  from  God  seemed  to  have 
fallen  upon  them,  and  this  was  immediately  followed  by  the  news, 
so  dreadful  to  them,  of  the  capture  of  Delhi  by  the  English  troops, 
spreading  consternation  through  their  ranks.  They  received  that 
information  some  days  before  we  did  ; but  at  length  it  came  to  us 
at  the  close  of  September. 

I was  sitting  that  afternoon,  writing  in  a very  pensive  mood, 
when  the  sudden  roar  of  a cannon,  from  the  little  fort  near  our 
cottage,  brought  me  to  my  feet,  and  a brilliant  hope  flashed  across 
my  heart.  I snatched  my  hat  and  ran  up  the  hill,  while  peal  after 
peal  thundered  out,  making  the  grand  Himalayas  reverberate.  At 
last  I gained  the  summit,  and  stood  till  I counted  the  “ royal  ” 
twenty-one.  I needed  no  one  to  tell  me  what  it  meant.  Our 


DELHI  FALLS  AT  LAST.  409 

commanding  officer  had  just  received  the  message  which  an- 
nounced that  Delhi  had  fallen  ! 

I stood  there,  wrapt  in  thoughts  never  to  be  forgotten,  and  a 
luxury  of  feeling  flowed  through  my  heart,  which  will  make  that 
moment  a bright  spot  in  my  life  and  recollection  forever. 

How  often  before  had  the  thunder  of  those  British  cannon 
proved  the  inlet  of  salvation  to  the  oppressed  and  persecuted  ! I 
was  not  the  first  American  missionary  to  whom  they  had  an- 
nounced “glad  tidings  of  great  joy.”  I thought  of  Judson  and 
his  heroic  wife,  of  Wade  and  Hough,  on  whose  ears,  in  their  mel- 
ancholy captivity,  those  cheerful  peals  proclaimed  approaching 
liberty. 

None  but  those  who,  like  ourselves,  have  been  practically  cap- 
tive for  months,  not  knowing  but  that  any  day  our  doom  might  be 
sealed  by  the  hand  of  violence,  can  imagine  how  every  gun  seemed 
to  ring  the  knell  of  the  Moslem  city  and  power,  while  it  proclaimed 
liberty  to  the  Christian  and  the  missionary  of  the  cross — none  but 
those  so  situated  can  appreciate  the  luxury  of  an  hour  like  that. 

It  was  impossible,  as  I returned  down  the  hill,  to  repress  the 
tears  that  so  freely  flowed  ; yet  they  were  caused  by  no  craven 
love  of  life,  nor  coward  fear  of  death.  I had  passed  through 
sufficient  ordeals  to  know  “ in  whom  I had  believed.”  No,  my 
tears  flowed,  but  they  were  for  India’s  own  sake  ; shed  in  joyful 
hope  and  largeness  of  heart,  that  God  was  once  more  setting  free 
those  Christian  agencies  which  alone  could  redeem  “ her  from  her 
sins”  and  sufferings,  and  which  would  lead  her  to  the  possession 
of  those  untold  mercies  that  even  she  shall  yet  enjoy  in  common 
with  all  Christian  nations. 

If  time  is  to  be  measured  by  the  magnitude  of  events  that  tran- 
spire within  any  given  space,  how  long  and  how  much  we  seemed 
to  have  lived  during  those  past  five  months  ! 

The  capture  of  Delhi  is  too  well  known  to  the  reader  to  require 
any  thing  more  than  mere  references  in  these  pages.  It  was  the 
event  on  which  our  fate,  and  the  fate  of  British  India,  seemed  to 

hang  during  those  long  months  ; and  its  capture  by  a mere  handful 

23 


4io 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


of  troops  was  one  of  the  marvels  of  those  stirring  times.  At 
length  we  breathed  freely,  and  the  hope  of  deliverance  rose 
brightly  upon  our  horizon.  The  scattered  Sepoy  host  had  to  be 
followed  up  through  all  parts  of  India,  Rohilcund  being  left  until  the 
last.  Lucknow  could  not  be  reoccupied  till  March  of  the  following 
year,  (1858,)  and  it  was  not  till  May  the  5th  that  Bareilly  was  cap- 
tured, and  our  way  opened  to  return  there. 

We  were  thus  free  to  go  out  on  the  north-west  side,  while  we 
were  to  be  shut  up  on  the  south-east  for  eight  months  more,  so  we 
concluded  to  leave  for  the  plains,  after  most  of  our  number  had 
already  gone.  To  remain  longer  where  we  were  seemed  out  of 
the  question.  No  money  could  reach  us  ; I had  exhausted  every 
source,  and  to  borrow  any  more  was  impracticable. 

Ere  the  snow  closed  the  road  over  the  Himalayas  for  the  winter, 
we  concluded  it  was  best  for  us  also  to  go.  At  Meerut  we  could 
obtain  the  means  required,  and  should  also  be  on  the  “grand 
trunk  road,”  and,  after  the  fall  of  Futtyghur  could,  if  necessary, 
join  the  brethren  expected  at  Calcutta,  and  decide  with  them  what 
was  best  to  be  done  for  the  present.  We  could  also  obtain  requi- 
sites for  the  mission  and  for  ourselves,  and  be  ready  to  return  with 
our  brethren  and  sisters  as  soon  as  our  field  was  again  open. 

Before  starting,  we  had  the  joy  of  receiving  a letter  from  Broth- 
ers Pierce  and  Humphrey,  dated  Calcutta,  September  30,  with  the 
glad  news  of  their  safe  arrival  there  in  good  health.  They  wrote 
in  their  letter  : “ We  knew  nothing  of  the  fearful  scenes  transpir- 
ing in  India  until  our  pilot  came  on  board  on  the  morning  of  the 
19th  instant,  bringing  files  of  the  latest  papers.  After  we  had 
recovered  ourselves  a little  from  the  first  blow,  we  turned  to  the 
account  of  the  Bareilly  tragedy.  I read  it  aloud,  trembling  almost 
to  read  from  line  to  line.  Twenty-nine  out  of  eighty-four  Euro- 
peans escaped,  and  your  name  unmentioned ! Our  worst  fears 
were  excited.  We  saw,  however,  that  only  official  names  were 
given  ; but,  after  resolving  the  matter,  could  encourage  ourselves 
but  little  to  hope  for  your  safety.  We  remained  in  this  state  of 
intense  suspense  until  four  P.  M.  on  Monday,  the  21st,  when  we 


AGAIN  IN  TIIE  WILDERNESS. 


411 

cast  anchor  at  Calcutta.  I hastened  on  shore,  called  on  Mr. 
Stewart,  and  learned  the  joyful  tidings  of  your  escape  to  Nynee 
Tal.  Our  inferest  was  all  concentrated  in  the  question,  ‘ Are 
Brother  Butler  and  family  safe  ?’  When  we  learned  this,  our  grati- 
tude and  gladness  were  such  that  we  scarcely  thought,  for  the  time, 
of  your  losses  and  sufferings  : it  seemed  enough  that  you  were 
saved.  ‘ O that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and 
for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men!’  I returned  to 
the  ship  ; then  were  we  glad,  thanked  God,  and  took  courage.” 

It  seems  a singular  coincidence  that  the  English  and  American 
Methodist  missions  to  India  should  both  have  commenced  their 
labors  under  afflictive  circumstances  connected  in  each  case  with 
their  superintendent. 

On  the  3d  of  May,  1814,  the  leader  of  the  first  band  of  Wesleyan 
missionaries,  Dr.  Coke,  suddenly  died,  almost  within  sight  of  India. 
His  brethren,  deprived  of  their  zealous  and  devoted  superintend- 
ent, landed  in  grief  and  sadness. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1857,  another  ship  neared  the  coast 
of  India,  this  time  bearing,  not  English,  but  American,  Meth- 
odist missionaries.  They  also  are  the  first  band  that  this  Church 
has  sent  to  India  ; and  they,  too,  are  in  anxiety  and  distress,  for  they 
fear  that  their  superintendent  has  been  murdered. 

But  this  is  not  all.  On  Dr.  Coke’s  death,  the  Rev.  James 
Lynch  was  appointed  to  the  superintendency.  He  labored  nearly 
thirty  years,  and  then  returned  to  his  native  land,  and  was  appointed 
to  the  Comber  Circuit.  Being  feeble,  the  writer  was  sent  to  assist 
him.  We  traveled  and  labored  together ; God  was  with  us,  and 
sinners  were  converted.  During  the  Sepoy  Rebellion  he  was 
calmly  awaitirig  his  departure  to  a better  world,  full  of  years  and 
the  grace  of  God,  while  the  boy  preacher,  whom  he  so  kindly  cher- 
ished and  prayed  for  fifteen  years  before,  was  in  that  very  India, 
and  superintendent  of  the  first  American  Methodist  Mission 
established  there ! 

The  journey  across  to  Landour  was  a wonderful  one.  We 
climbed  mountains,  forded  rivers,  clambered  round  frightful  preci- 


412 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


pices,  often  on  narrow  paths  which,  in  places,  were  not  more  than 
twenty  to  thirty  inches  wide.  At  a gorge  in  the  mountains  we 
crossed  the  Ganges,  there  a roaring  torrent  between  walls  of  rock, 
on  a miserable  rope  bridge,  which  had  been  condemned  as  unsafe, 
and  which  swung  in  the  wind,  sixty  feet  above  the  water  that 
foamed  beneath  it.  It  was  a journey  never  to  be  forgotten  for  its 
magnificent  views,  its  tall  pine  forests,  the  wildness  of  the  scenery, 
the  beauty  and  variety  of  its  birds,  and  the  singular  sensation  that 
we  were  moving  over  mountains  and  through  forests  infested  by 
tigers  and  all  sorts  of  savage  animals,  against  which  our  only  pro- 
tection was  the  sunlight  by  day  and  the  flaming  log  fire  by  night. 
But  God  guided  us  in  safety.  Though,  to  show  how  near  we  were 
to  danger,  and  how  much  we  required  merciful  care,  I will  state  that 
one  night  we  had  camped  in  a lonely  valley  by  a stream,  having 
with  us  a goat  which  we  had  brought  along  to  give  milk  for  the 
little  “ Mutiny  Baby.”  The  poor  goat  was  left  fastened,  as  usual, 
to  the  peg  at  the  tent  door,  with  the  fire  in  front  outside,  and  our 
lantern  lighted  within.  The  fire  unfortunately  went  out,  and  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  we  were  startled  out  of  our  sleep  by  a roar  and 
a yell  of  agony,  and,  jumping  up  and  opening  the  tent  door,  I found 
that  the  wild  beasts  had  carried  off  the  poor  goat  bodily,  and  were 
already  clear  out  of  sight  with  her ! 

Occasionally  we  slept  five  thousand  feet  higher,  or  lower,  than 
where  we  rested  the  night  before.  Our  “ house  and  home  ” was  a 
little  tent  eight  feet  square.  A day’s  journey  varied  from  seven  to 
fifteen  miles,  according  to  the  character  of  the  road.  It  was  gen- 
erally four  or  five  P.  M.  by  the  time  we  reached  the  camping-place. 
The  tent  was  then  set  up,  our  dinner  cooked,  and  there,  beside  our 
large  log  fire,  sometimes  ten  or  twenty  miles  from  any  habitation,  we 
enjoyed  the  grand  solitude.  After  this  we  would  heap  more  logs  on 
the  fire  for  protection  against  the  animals,  and,  commending  ourselves 
to  the  care  of  God,  would  lie  down  and  sleep  tranquilly.  The  wild 
beasts,  by  which  we  were  generally  surrounded,  disturbed  us  no  fur- 
ther. So  it  went  on  for  sixteen  days  and  nights  from  the  time  we 
started,  the  whole  distance  being  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles. 


DEL1II  NAKED. 


413 


The  last  day,  when  crossing  the  highest  mountain  of  the  range,  the 
snow  began  to  fall,  so  that  we  had  to  camp  that  night  upon  it,  with 
a few  boughs  under  us.  But  the  next  morning  we  crossed  it,  and 
began  to  descend  to  the  plains,  and  soon  were  beyond  the  snow 
line. 

Our  last  communication  from  America  was  dated  several  months 
before.  How  people  over  there  felt  about  our  position  and  circum- 
stances, and  in  regard  to  our  mission,  we  knew  not.  We  could 
only  hope  that  our  beloved  Church,  far  from  being  daunted  or  dis- 
couraged, was  more  than  ever  resolved  and  prepared  to  do  her  duty 
toward  her  great  work  in  India. 

We  reached  Dehra  Doon  December  5th.  How  calm  and  beauti- 
ful all  things  in  the  valley  seemed  to  us,  after  being  shut  up  so  many 
months  upon  the  mountains ! But  the  Rohilcund  rebels  were 
across  the  Ganges,  so  we  kept  off  by  Saharunpore,  and  thence  to 
Kurnal  and  the  imperial  city.  It  was  two  hours  after  midnight 
when  we  passed  the  outskirts  of  Delhi.  We  rolled  down  the  empty 
street  of  the  Subzee  Mundee,  rattled  on  to  the  bridge  over  the 
moat,  and  hailed  the  sentry,  who,  seeing  a white  face,  asked  no 
questions,  but  opened  the  ponderous  gates,  and — ten  weeks  after 
its  capture — we  were  in  Delhi  ! 

There  is  something  very  solemn  in  passing  through  the  de- 
serted streets  of  a conquered  city.  We  could  dimly  see  that  all 
was  desolation  and  utter  confusion.  Having  reached  the  lonely 
house  assigned  for  travelers,  and  taken  a cup  of  tea,  my  curiosity 
was  too  great  for  rest  or  sleep,  so  I procured  a light,  and  wandered 
down  the  Chandnee  Chowk,  (the  Street  of  Silver.)  All  was  still 
as  death  ; indeed  the  silence  was  dreadful ; not  a ray  of  light  any- 
where, except  from  the  lantern  which  I carried.  Not  a human  being 
to  be  seen.  Every  door,  whether  of  store  or  private  house,  lay 
open.  I entered  five  or  six  shops.  No  words  could  describe  the 
wreck : even  the  floors  had  been  torn  up  by  the  “ loot  ” seekers. 
One  was  a native  doctor’s  shop.  The  drawers  were  all  out,  half 
the  bottles  still  on  the  shelves,  and  the  rest  overturned  and 
smashed.  Every  thing  valuable  in  each  case  had  been  carried  off, 


414 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


and  there  lay  the  worthless  remnants,  knocked  to  pieces  on  the 
floors.  In  some  places  a heavy  fermentation  was  going  on,  causing 
an  insupportable  smell.  The  wretched  cats  were  silently  moping 
about,  and  the  poor  dogs  howled  mournfully  in  the  desolate  houses. 

And  this  was  Delhi,  and  this  her  recompense!  Far  rather 
would  one  see  a city  knocked  down  and  covered  with  its  own  ruins, 
than  to  behold  a scene  like  this.  A tomb  in  Herculaneum  can  be 
contemplated  with  interest ; but  Delhi,  that  night,  was  like  an  open 
grave  rifled  of  its  ornaments,  and  its  dishonored,  reeking  condition 
lying  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  the  lonely  visitor.  No  wonder  that 
its  excluded  Mohammedan  population,  as  they  prowled  around  its 
vicinity,  said,  “ This  is  a worse  punishment  than  that  of  Nadir 
Shah.  He  gave  up  the  city  to  massacre  and  pillage  for  a few  days, 
then  all  was  over,  and  the  surviving  inhabitants  returned  to  their 
homes  and  employments,  and  every  thing  went  on  as  before. 
The  English  took  no  such  vengeance ; but  they  drove  us  out,  and 
week  after  week  they  kept  us  excluded,  and  will  not  let  us  return.” 

No  doubt,  such  language  correctly  represented  their  feelings. 
This  decided  exclusion  of  them  ; this  calm  and  continued  investi- 
gation by  the  civil  and  military  authorities  ; this  searching  out,  and 
bringing  to  justice,  the  perpetrators  of  the  crimes  of  May  and  June 
— giving  them  the  opportunity  of  proving  their  innocence,  (one 
trial  alone  having  lasted  ten  days,)  and  then  their  prompt  execution 
when  found  guilty  of  murder — all  this,  together  with  the  disposition 
of  the  Government  to  acknowledge  and  reward  fidelity  where  they 
found  it,  produced  an  immense  impression.  It  was  so  contrary  to 
the  rash  and  indiscriminate  mode  of  Oriental  despotism. 

When  I reached  the  Kotwalie  (the  Mayor’s  office)  in  the  square, 
a horror  came  over  me  as  I remembered  that  I was  then  standing 
upon  the  very  ground  where,  on  the  12th  and  13th  of  May,  En- 
glishwomen 

“ Perished 

In  unutterable  shame  ; ” 


where  good  Rajib  Ali,  and  many  others  with  him,  were  tortured, 
not  accepting  the  deliverance  urged  upon  them  by  the  raging  crowd 


ALONE  AT  MIDNIOUT  BEFORE  THE  KOTWALIE.  415 

on  condition  of  apostasy ; and  where  also  the  murdered  and  muti- 
lated bodies  of  Christian  men  and  women  lay  exposed  and  insulted, 
till  at  length,  when  no  longer  endurable,  they  were  dragged  away 
out  of  the  city  and  Hung  to  the  jackals  and  the  birds  of  prey  ; and 
here  I was,  standing-  alone  at  midnight  amid  the  darkness  which 
my  lantern  only  made  visible,  in  the  very  center  of  Delhi,  with  no 
sound  to  be  heard  save  the  sighing  of  the  wind  in  the  great,  dark 
peepul  trees  above  my  head,  till  my  excited  fancy  almost  imagined 
that  I heard  them  moan  out,  “ How  long,  O Lord,  how  long  ! ” 
The  reminiscences  of  that  moment  were  enough  to  chill  the  blood 
of  the  strongest  man.  They  recur  to  me  now  like  a dream  of  ter- 
ror that  can  never  be  forgotten. 

I walked  on  to  the  Emperor’s  gate,  but  it  was  shut ; the  walls 
frowned  darkly  down  upon  me,  and  all  was  silent  as  death.  I 
turned  back  by  the  other  side  of  the  street  to  my  lodging,  a walk 
of  more  than  a mile,  without  meeting  a single  human  being. 

As  I stood  that  night  in  the  midst  of  this  stern  desolation,  I was 
forcibly  reminded  of  the  Lesson  in  the  calendar  for  the  14th  of 
September,  which  attracted  our  attention  so  much  when  reading  it, 
and  all  the  more  when  we  heard  afterward  that  it  was  the  Lesson 
for  the  day  on  which  the  assault  was  given.  It  was  in  Nahum  iii, 
and  begins,  “ Woe  to  the  bloody  city !”  etc.  ; as  applicable  to  Delhi 
as  ever  it  was  to  Nineveh — and  here  was  her  “woe.”  She  was 
“naked,”  “a  gazing  stock,”  and  “laid  waste;”  her  “nobles  in  the 
dust,”  her  “people  scattered;”  so  that  with  equal  truth  it  might 
then  be  said  of  her,  “ There  is  no  healing  of  thy  bruise  ; thy  wound 
is  grievous  ; all  that  hear  the  bruit  of  thee  shall  clap  their  hands 
over  thee,  for  upon  whom  hath  not  thy  wickedness  passed  con- 
tinually?” -(Verse  19.) 

I picked  up  an  Hindustanee  account  book  lying  at  a merchant’s 
door,  and  returned  and  went  to  bed  absorbed  in  the  thoughts  of  a 
retributive  Providence,  and  the  sad  miseries  of  war  among  which 
I lay. 

Early  the  next  morning  I was  out  again  rambling  through  the 
streets.  The  people  who  had  passes  were  admitted  for  trade  and 


41 6 THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 

market.  The  Chandnee  Chowk,  with  a few  of  its  leading  tributa- 
ries toward  the  Palace,  (inside  the  walls  of  which  were  the  troops 
and  the  prisoners,)  were  the  only  portions  of  Delhi  where  I met 
any  number  of  people.  The  rest  of  the  city  was  a desert,  where 
one  might  walk  half  a mile  and  not  meet  a human  being,  even  at 
midday.  Coming  around  to  the  Kotwalie,  an  awful  sight  presented 
itself.  On  a high  gallows  (which  the  darkness  prevented  me  from 
seeing  when  I stood  there  a few  hours  before)  were  hanging  by  the 
neck,  dead,  eighteen  of  the  “ Shahzadas  ” — the  king’s  seed — who 
had  been  found  guilty  of  terrible  crimes,  many  of  them  committed 
at  this  very  place.  They  had  been  hanged  at  daybreak,  and  only 
a few  persons  were  standing  around. 

I had,  of  course,  heard  the  report  of  their  fiendish  deeds,  but  to 
come  thus  suddenly  upon  the  authors  of  them,  bearing  their  pen- 
alty on  the  very  spot  where  their  crimes  were  committed,  was 
enough  to  chill  the  blood  in  one’s  veins.  How  dreadful  is  sin  ! 
The  sight  made  me  sick,  and  I turned  hastily  away. 

During  the  day  we  called  upon  Lieutenant  E.,  a military  friend, 
who  kindly  gratified  our  wishes  to  be  shown  “the  sights.” 
Mounting  us  on  one  of  the  government  elephants,  he  took  us  over 
the  battle-field,  and  described  the  siege  and  the  assault,  and  the 
capture  of  the  city  at  the  different  points.  We  lingered  where 
General  Wilson  stood  when  the  terrible  assault  was  made,  and 
seemed  to  realize  the  whole  scene.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  com- 
mander in  modern  times  has  sustained  a weightier  responsibility 
than  he  did  then. 

Further  delay  was  impossible  ; there  was  no  room  for  any 
reverse.  He  must  succeed  or  all  was  lost.  A repulse  would  have 
involved  consequences  so  terrible  that  the  mind  dare  hardly  con- 
template them.  If  he  failed,  that  little  army,  without  a miracle, 
must  have  been  annihilated,  the  wavering  Punjab  would  have 
“gone,”  and  the  undecided  princes  have  been  drawn  into  the  cur- 
rent, which  would  probably,  within  a few  weeks,  have  swept  away 
every  thing  British  and  Christian  from  the  soil  of  India. 

We  wandered  over  the  battle-field,  by  the  broad  shore  of  the 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  DELHI. 


4 17 


Jumna,  and  saw  that,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  to  clear  the 
ground,  the  sanguinary  character  of  the  contest  was  still  manifest : 
dead  horses  and  camels,  and  occasionally  human  remains,  with 
portions  of  exploded  shells,  might  be  seen.  The  “ Brahminee 
hawks  ” and  vultures  were  still  hovering  around.  I took  up  a 
human  skull  ; it  was  that  of  a Sepoy,  for  the  marks  of  the  pawn 
were  still  on  the  front  teeth.  A round  shot  or  sword-cut  had 
taken  off  the  top  of  the  head;  death  must  have  been  instantaneous. 

I thought  of  the  lines  of  the  classic  poet  as  I thus  looked  upon  the 
most  vivid  realization  of  them  I ever  saw,  or  ever  expect  to  see  ; 

“ The  wrath  which  hurled  to  Pluto’s  gloomy  reign 
The  souls  of  mighty  chiefs  untimely  slain  ; 

Whose  limbs,  unburied  on  the  naked  shore. 

Devouring  dogs  and  hungry  vultures  tore  ! ” 

From  the  battle-field  we  went  in  the  afternoon  to  Selim  Ghur, 
and  thence  along  the  fortifications  by  the  river.  We  were  for- 
tunate in  falling  in  with  Brigadier  Jones,  who  took  the  Palace  on 
the  last  day  of  the  assault.  He  told  us  that  he  led  780  men  into 
action,  of  whom  nearly  450  were  either  killed  or  wounded,  the  pro- 
portion of  officers  being  very  large.  This  fact  shows  what  a des- 
perate service  he  had  to  perform.  Personally  he  escaped  un- 
touched. The  Brigadier  commanded  a few  months  afterward  at 
the  battle  of  Bareilly. 

We  went  next  to  the  magazine,  the  defense  of  which  has  ren- 
dered the  name  of  Willoughby  so  famous.  Here  we  were  also 
favored  in  having  as  a guide  Lieutenant  Forrest,  who  was  one  of 
Willoughby’s  officers  on  that  occasion.  He  conducted  us  over  the 
place,  and  explained  the  details  of  the  ever-memorable  defense. 

We  next 'went  to  see  the  beautiful  Jain  Temple.  The  outward 
court  reminded  me  of  the  description  of  Solomon’s  Temple,  it  was 
so  rich  and  elegant.  In  the  sanctuary  there  stood  a shrine,  which 
rose  tier  above  tier,  till  it  terminated  in  a dome  on  four  pillars,  the 
proportions  of  the  whole  being  exquisite.  Each  part  was  richly 
carved  in  screen  work  in  white  marble,  and  inlaid  with  precious 
stones  ; but  every  thing  movable  had  been  carried  off,  including 


4 1 8 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


the  magnificent  curtains,  embroidered  in  gold,  which  were  hung 
around  the  court,  perhaps  twenty  in  number. 

In  the  sanctuary  we  found  two  Parisnaths,  (or  Parswanaths,)  one 
of  them  as  large  as  life,  in  black  marble,  with  a genuine  negro 
type  of  countenance,  high  cheek  bones,  thick  lips,  and  curly  hair. 
On  asking  the  reason,  the  priest  informed  us  that  their  god  Paris- 
nath  was  exactly  like  a negro,  an  idea  which  they  hold  in  common 
with  all  Buddhists. 

Both  of  the  venerable  deities  had  their  noses  smashed,  and 
looked,  in  consequence,  rather  ridiculous.  I asked  the  priest,  “ Who 
mutilated  them  ?”  He  said,  “The  Mohamrpedan  Sepoys  did  so,  and 
then  the  Sikhs  came  afterward,  and  robbed  us  of  every  thing  they 
could  carry  off.”  This  temple,  for  its  size,  is  certainly  the  most 
splendid  place  of  worship  I ever  saw.  The  Motee  Musjid,  in  Agra, 
is  more  chastely  elegant ; but  there  was  about  the  structure  and 
appearance  of  this  edifice  something  which,  though  “ not  worthy  to 
be  compared,”  yet  helped  to  a more  adequate  idea  of  that  match- 
less “house  of  God”  which  the  liberality  of  Jewish  piety  erected 
on  Mount  Zion. 

From  this  we  went  to  see  the  Jumma  Musjid,  the  greatest  Mo- 
hammedan “cathedral”  of  the  East,  and  one  of  the  very  largest,  if 
not  the  largest  place  of  worship,  in  the  world.  The  view  from  the 
top  of  the  minarets  was  magnificent.  These  lofty  towers  were 
occupied  by  the  leaders  of  the  defense  during  the  siege,  and  in 
that  vast  court  below  thousands  of  those  blood-thirsty  fanatics,  from 
sunrise  to  sunset,  during  that  long  anxiety,  implored  God,  for  Mo- 
hammed’s sake,  to  aid  them  in  exterminating  the  followers  of  the 
hated  Messiah.  Here  they  “raged”  and  “took  counsel  together;” 
but  God,  instead  of  answering,  rejected  their  prayers,  confounded 
their  devices,  and  “ dashed  them  ” and  their  government  “ in  pieces 
like  a potter’s  vessel,”  and  here  was  the  center  of  the  fearful  wieck 
of  all  their  purposes. 

The  whole  place  was  desecrated.  Native  soldiers  were  cooking 
their  food  in  the  cloisters.  The  high  priest’s  throne  was  smashed, 
and  every  thing  valuable  carried  off.  I entered  their  treasure  room, 


MOHAMMEDAN  TREATMENT  OF  HINDOO  IDOLS.  419 

and  on  the  ground,  covered  with  broken  boxes  and  rubbish,  I found 
those  marble  slabs,  (of  the  existence  and  use  of  which  I had  pre- 
viously heard,)  one  professing  to  bear  the  impress  of  Mohammed’s 
hand,  and  the  other  of  his  foot.  Notwithstanding  the  boast  of  the 
Mohammedans  as  iconoclasts,  they  do  pay  these  relics  a certain 
religious  veneration  that  is  idolatrous.  I found  them  where  they 
kept  their  most  venerated  things.  Those  who  sought  only  pre- 
cious metals  and  other  valuables  had  not  considered  them  worthy 
of  removal,  but  to  me  they  were  deeply  significant,  and,  as  “ loot- 
ing” was  the  order  of  the  day,  I carried  them  off,  to  the  great 
amusement  of  the  Beloochee  soldiers,  who  laughed  at  the  idea  of 
the  “Sahib”  soiling  his  clothes  to  carry  away  “such  useless  things 
as  those  dirty  stones.”  As  long  as  they  last  they  will  be  an  evi- 
dence of  the  debasement  of  Oriental  Mohammedanism,  furnished 
by  the  treasure  room  of  its  greatest  mosque. 

From  the  Jumma  Musjid  we  went  to  the  Hindoo  Temple  of 
Mahadeva,  near  the  palace  gate.  Destruction  had  raged  here  also. 
The  high  priest  was  very  civil,  telling  us  “ how  thankful  he  was 
that  our  Raj  (Government)  had  returned.”  They  confound  all  white 
men  with  the  Government.  We  entered,  and  the  little  knot  of 
priests  looked  sad  and  sorrowful  enough.  Seeing  that  the  idols 
were  all  oft'  their  pedestals,  I inquired  where  they  were.  They  led 
us  up  to  the  place,  and  there,  on  the  ground,  covered  reverently  with 
a cloth,  were  nearly  twenty  of  their  gods,  beautifully  carved  in  white 
marble,  about  as  large  as  little  babies,  all  in  a state  of  mutilation, 
not  one  whole  one  in  the  lot.  Their  legs,  and  arms,  and  heads 
were  off,  and  their  noses  smashed,  while  the  bright  eyes  of  one  and 
another  looked  up  out  of  the  pile  as  if  they  were  astonished  ! 

The  poor  priests  looked  down,  with  rueful  countenances  and 
heavy  sighs,  at  the  wreck  and  confusion.  I had  no  condolence  to 
offer,  for  the  scene  was  such  an  illustration  of  the  folly  and  impo- 
tence of  idolatry  that  I felt  like  giving  way  to  immoderate  laughter, 
but  refrained,  as  I knew  it  would  annoy  them  to  the  last  degree. 
We  asked,  “Who  or  what  wrought  all  this  destruction  ?”  “Why, 
Sahib,  the  Budmash  Mohammedans,  of  course.  They  came  into 


420 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


our  temple,  and  with  the  butt  ends  of  their  muskets  they  knocked 
off  their  legs  and  arms,  and  smashed  their  noses,  and  flung  them 
on  the  ground,  and  desecrated  them.”  I told  them  we  had  no  pity 
for  them.  They  had,  with  their  eyes  open,  joined  these  “ Bud- 
mash  ” Mohammedans,  to  expel  a Government  that  had  never  out- 
raged their  religion,  but  always  protected  them  in  its  exercise,  and 
which  they  themselves  had  often  declared  was  the  best  Govern- 
ment their  country  ever  knew.  They  admitted  the  assertion,  and 
when  we  asked  them  why  they  did  so,  they  replied,  “ Because, 
Sahib,  we  were  deluded.  Those  people  told  us,  if  we  would  only 
join  them  this  once,  they  would  give  us  perpetual  deliverance  from 
all  fear  of  the  growing  power  of  Christianity,  which,  they  said,  was 
about  to  destroy  our  religion  ; and  that  they  would  also  give  us 
equal  rights  and  privileges.  Their  war  cry  was,  ‘ Do  deen  ek  zeen 
men,’  (two  religions  in  one  saddle  ;)  but  they  soon  gave  us  to 
understand  that  one  of  the  two  must  ride  behind  ; and  when  they 
came  to  decide  which  it  should  be,  they  settled  that  after  their 
fashion.”  He  added,  “I  prayed  to  God  for  your  return  to  this  city. 
O,  how  thankful  we  are  that  your  Raj  has  come  back  again  !” 

I asked  if  I might  take  two  or  three  of  the  broken  idols.  They 
submissively  replied,  “ What  you  like  ; you  are  master  here.”  They 
lent  me  a basket,  and  procured  a coolie  to  carry  the  three  which  I 
picked  out.  I placed  some  money  in  their  hands  for  them.  They 
seemed  surprised  that  I had  not  acted  on  my  “ right  of  conquest,” 
and  taken  them  without  payment.  On  asking  them  what  they 
were  now  engaged  in  worshiping,  as  their  other  gods  were  destroyed, 
they  seemed  afraid  to  reply.  We  told  them  they  need  not  be, 
and  that  we  had  heard  of  it,  and  knew  what  it  was,  and  only 
wished  to  see  it.  After  obtaining  our  promise  that  we  would  not 
demand  that  too,  if  they  showed  it,  they  led  us  into  the  sanctuary,, 
and  there  it  was,  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  upper  and  hinder 
part  of  a bull,  (Nundce  Davee,)  carved  and  polished  in  black  marble. 
The  flowers  and  Ganges  water  were  fresh  upon  it,  showing  that  it 
had  been  worshiped  that  day.  And  this  was  Hindoo  worship,  in 
one  of  its  chief  temples  in  the  imperial  city  ! 


MY  VISIT  TO  TIIE  EMPEROR. 


421 


Our  kind  guide  now  brought  us  to  see  the  Emperor,  Empress, 
and  the  Princes,  who  were  awaiting  trial ; hut  before  doing  so,  he 
led  11s  up  to  that  part  of  the  palace  where  was  the  suite  of  apart- 
ments which  had  been  occupied  by  the  English  Embassador,  and 
into  his  reception-room,  where  he  and  the  chaplain,  and  the  two 
ladies,  were  murdered. 

In  the  East  a violation  of  hospitality  is  regarded  as  a crime  of 
greater  magnitude  than  it  is  with  us.  This  is  fully  illustrated  in 
the  Scriptures  ; yet  here,  under  the  very  roof  of  the  Emperor,  the 
Embassador,  Hon.  Mr.  Fraser,  (the  second  brother  killed  within 
those  walls,)  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jennings  and  his  daughter,  Miss 
Jennings,  with  her  cousin,  Miss  Clifford — said  to  be  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  Englishwomen  then  in  the  East — were  ruthlessly  cut  to 
pieces  in  this  very  room.  Their  blood  still  stained  its  floor,  the 
marks  of  the  tulwars  were  in  the  plaster  round  about,  and  on  the 
walls  was  the  impress  of  some  of  their  gory  hands,  made  as  they 
leaned  after  receiving  their  first  wounds  ; while  the  head  of  another 
of  the  party  had  fallen  back  against  the  wall,  and  described  part  of 
a circle  as  it  sank  to  the  floor,  leaving  the  blood  and  hair  in  the 
track  of  its  passage  ! 

There  were  bitter  feelings  expressed  against  the  Empress,  espe- 
cially for  these  assassinations.  It  was  considered  that  under  her 
own  roof,  at  all  events,  it  was  entirely  in  her  power  to  have  saved 
these  ladies  had  she  chosen  to  do  so  ; but  she  made  no  effort  for 
this  purpose,  and  when  her  own  hour  of  sorrow  came,  it  was  re- 
membered to  her  disadvantage. 

We  were  obliged  to  procure  a written  permission  to  see  the 
Emperor.  There  had  been  no  restriction  on  the  public  curiosity 
till  a gentleman,  who  had  lost  several  relatives  by  the  mutiny,  went 
lately  to  see  the  Emperor,  and,  losing  control  of  his  feelings, 
used  such  language  as  put  the  old  man  in  “bodily  fear”  for  his 
safety.  This,  with  no  doubt  other  reasons,  led  to  his  being  kept  a 
close  prisoner,  and  interviews  permitted  only  in  the  presence  of 
the  magistrate  and  the  officer  of  the  guard  who  had  him  in  charge. 
The  place  of  his  residence  was  a small  house  of  three  rooms  in  his 


422 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


own  garden.  Accompanied  by  the  officer  and  Mr.  Ommanney,  we 
parsed  through  the  guard  of  the  Rifles,  and  entered  the  room 
where  the  Emperor  was  sitting  cross-legged,  after  the  Oriental 
fashion,  on  a charpoy,  with  cushions  on  each  side  to  lean  upon, 
engaged  in  eating  his  dinner,  using  his  fingers  only,  without  knife 
or  fork. 

His  dress  was  rich,  his  vest  being  cloth  of  gold,  with  a beautiful 
coat  of  Cashmere,  and  a turban  of  the  same  material.  The  figure 
of  the  old  man  was  slight  ; his  physiognomy  very  marked  ; his 
face  small,  with  a hooked  or  aquiline  nose  ; his  eyes  dark  and 
deeply  sunk,  with  something  of  the  hawk  aspect  about  them  ; 
his  beard  was  gray  and  scanty,  running  down  to  a point.  Not- 
withstanding his  crimes,  it  was  impossible  to  look  upon  this 
descendant  of  Tamerlane  without  emotion.  My  mind  went  back 
two  hundred  and  forty  years,  to  the  time  when  England’s  Embas- 
sador humbly  sought,  in  the  splendid  city  of  Jehangeer,  a foothold 
for  the  East  India  Company.  How  different  the  scene  before  us 
from  what  Tavernier  saw  when  he  beheld  Shah  Jehan  in  that 
magnificent  court,  seated  on  his  jeweled  “ Peacock  Throne  !”  Here 
was  his  lineal  descendant  a prisoner,  while  two  English  soldiers, 
with  fixed  bayonets,  stood  guard  over  him.  It  recalled  the  aston- 
ished exclamation  of  a seraph  to  another  potentate  in  guilt  and 
captivity, 

“ If  thou  beest  he  ; but  O,  how  fallen  ! ” 

It  was  just  twelve  months  that  very  week  since  I saw  the  “ Princes 
of  Delhi  ” at  the  Benares  Durbar,  in  all  their  pomp  and  finery, 
presented  in  turn  to  that  kingly-looking  man,  the  late  Governor 
Colvin,  himself  a sacrifice  to  this  rebellion.  What  one  short  year 
had  done  ! Many  of  those  “ Princes  ” were  now  filling  the  graves 
of  traitors  and  murderers,  while  others  of  them  were  awaiting  their 
trial  and  doom  within  a minute’s  walk  of  where  I was  standing. 
This  wretched  old  man  was  then  surrounded  with  imperial  state, 
and  living  on  his  $900,000  per  annum  ; and  now,  here  he  was  a 
guilty,  forsaken,  penniless  king — a gazing  stock,  awaiting  his  doom. 
What  a change  ! 


THE  FALLEN  EMPEROR. 


423 


The  feelings  with  which  we  contemplated  him  were  a strange 
mixture  of  interest,  pity,  and  contempt.  The  reader  will  remem- 
ber the  reflections  of  the  Countess  of  Blessington  when  she  met 
the  mother  of  the  fallen  Napoleon  leaning  on  the  arm  of  the  ex- 
king  of  Westphalia,  as  they  wandered  pensively  amid  the  ruins  of 
Rome. 

‘This  case  added  another  illustration  of  the  poet’s  thought : 

“ He  who  has  worn  a crown, 

When  less  than  king  is  less  than  other  men  ; 

A fallen  star  extinguished,  leaving  blank 
Its  place  in  heaven.” 

But  in  the  instance  before  us  there  seemed  a lower  depth  of  degra- 
dation than  crowned  head  had  ever  reached  before  ; a profound  of 
folly  and  guilt  that  forbade  human  sympathy,  as  was  very  truly  set 
forth  in  the  speech  of  the  United  States  Minister  at  the  great 
meeting  in  London  four  months  before. 

As  we  entered,  the  Emperor  looked  up  at  us  for  a moment  with 
a flash  in  his  eve  that  was  easily  understood.  We  belonged  to  the 
white-faced  race,  and  were  of  the  religion  that  he  detested  ; and  the 
man  must  have  keenly  felt,  as  we  stood  in  his  presence  and  looked 
at  him,  how  fallen  he  then  was.  He,  before  whom  and  his  prede- 
cessors multitudes  had  bowed  down  in  such  lowly  prostration  and 
homage,  had  then  to  realize  that  there  was 

“ None  so  poor  to  do  him  reverence.” 

It  was  not  possible,  after  all,  to  look  at  him  without  a measure  of 
sympathy:  “a  star”  that  had  shone  for  eight  hundred  years  in  this 
political  “ heaven  ” had  fallen  to  the  earth  and  was  lying  at  our  feet, 
its  light  extinguished  forever. 

I asked- the  soldiers  why  the  old  gentleman  was*  so  closely 
guarded  in  that  inclosed  place  ? They  replied,  “ Sir,  it  is  not  for 
fear  of  his  getting  away,  but  to  protect  him  from  harm  till  he  is 
tried.”  On  expressing  my  surprise  at  this  explanation,  the  man 
added,  “ Well,  you  see,  sir,  people  are  coming  here  every  day  to 
look  at  him — wives,  whose  husbands  were  killed  by  his  Sepoys, 
and  husbands  whose  wives  were  worse  than  killed.  You  see,  sir, 


424 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


his  was  the  name  in  which  every  thing  was  done,  and  when  they 
look  at  him  and  realize  it  all  their  feelings  get  the  better  of  them, 
and  they  feel  like  flying  at  him  and  revenging  their  wrongs  upon 
him,  so  we  have  to  protect  him.”  Yes,  I saw  it  all  ; and  the  bitter 
remembrance  of  the  cruel  deaths  of  some  precious  friends  of  my 
own  at  Bareilly,  and  elsewhere,  seven  months  before,  banished  all 
sympathy  for  this  guilty  author  of  their  sufferings.  In  response  to 
some  remark  which  I made  to  this  effect,  I saw  the  blood  mount 
to  the  cheek  of  the  soldier  as,  drawing  back  his  hand  in  which 
was  the  bayonet,  he  said,  with  deep  feeling,  “Yes,  sir,  it  would 
give  me  the  greatest  satisfaction  to  put  this  through  the  old 
rascal!”  The  honest  earnestness  of  the  man  provoked  a smile; 
and  I thought,  what  would  Sir  Thomas  Roe — England’s  first  Em- 
bassador to  this  Court — say,  could  he  rise  from  the  dead,  and,  after 
all  the  reverence  he  paid  here  to  “the  divinity  which  hedged” 
these  gorgeous  kings,  hear  a common  soldier  of  his  nation  express 
his  disgust  at  having  to  act  the  jailer  over  the  Great  Mogul ! 

A day  or  two  previously  my  friend,  Rev.  J.  S.  Woodside,  Mis- 
sionary of  the  American  Presbyterian  Church,  was  here.  He 
went  to  see  the  Emperor,  and  took  the  opportunity  of  conversing 
with  him  about  Christianity.  The  old  man  assented  to  the  general 
excellence  of  the  Gospel,  but  stoutly  declared  that  it  was  abro- 
gated by  the  Koran — as  Moses  and  the  law  were  abolished  by 
Christ  and  the  Gospel — so,  he  argued,  Mohammed  and  the  Koran 
had  superseded  Christ  and  every  previous  revelation.  Brother 
Woodside  calmly,  but  firmly,  told  him  that,  so  far  from  this  being 
the  case,  Mohammed  was  an  impostor  and  the  Koran  a lie  ; and 
that  unless  he  repented  and  believed  in  Christ,  and  Christ  alone, 
without  doubt  he  must  perish  in  his  sins.  He  then  proceeded  to 
enforce  upon  his  bigoted  hearer  the  only  Gospel  sermon  which  he 
had  ever  heard.  And  Brother  Woodside  was  the  very  man  to 
utter  it.  Was  not  his  Church  entitled  to  that  privilege  by  the 
sacrifice  of  the  precious  lives  of  four  of  their  Missionaries  at  Futty- 
ghur,  as  mentioned  on  page  1 5 I ? 

It  was  a just  and  significant  providence  that  in  such  a moment, 


ROYAL  CAPTIVES  AWAITING  TRIAL. 


425 


when  this  blasphemous  usurpation,  arrested  by  the  hand  of  God, 
and  about  to  be  hurled  from  all  its  aspirations  of  supremacy  over 
the  mind  of  India,  a Minister  of  Jesus  Christ  should,  in  this  pres- 
ence, ring,  as  it  were,  the  knell  of  its  hopes,  and  utter  those  truths 
as  the  last  Imperial  representative  of  Oriental  Mohammedanism 
was  bidding  a “long  farewell  to  all  his  greatness,”  and  the  political 
power  of  his  system  was  falling, 

“ Like  Lucifer, 

Never  to  hope  again  ! ” 

My  wife  went  in  to  see  the  Empress,  and  found  her,  with  two  of 
her  maids,  very  plainly  dressed  and  but  poorly  lodged.  When  she 
. came  out,  she  was  not  at  all  enthusiastic  about  the  Empress’s 
present  beauty.  Still,  competent  evidence  declares  that  Zeenat 
Mahal,  as  she  appeared  in  1846,  is  faithfully  represented  in  the 
picture  presented  on  page  in;  but  twenty  years  of  such  a life  as 
she  led  in  that  Zenana,  and  the  apprehension  of  guilt  which  she 
must  then  have  felt,  with  the  doom  impending  over  her  husband 
and  house,  all  must  have  wrought  sad  changes  in  that  once  fair 
young  face. 

From  the  Emperor  we  went  to  the  cells  where  the  other  pris- 
oners were  awaiting  their  trial.  These  cells  were  in  a sort  of  offset 
from  the  palace  grounds,  in  which  stood  the  beautiful  Dewanee 
Khass,  and  had  doors  of  iron  railing,  through  which  the  prisoners 
could  glance  across  into  the  palace  gardens  beyond.  It  strikingly 
suggested  the  separation,  and  yet  sight,  of  each  other  in  the  parable 
of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus.  We  walked  past  some  of  them,  and 
it  was  sad  to  see  within  these  iron  doors,  awaiting  their  fate,  men 
like  the  Rajah  of  Dadree,  the  Nawab  of  Bullubghur,  and  others  of 
their  class.  ’ Twelve  months  before, these  captives  were  occupying 
thrones,  and  governing  their  States  in  peace,  under  the  protection 
of  the  paramount  power  of  England  ; and  here  they  were  now, 
awaiting  their  turn  to  be  tried  for  treason,  and,  some  of  them,  foi 
murder  as  well.  They  had  sided  with  the  Emperor,  sending  their 
troops  and  treasure  to  Delhi  to  aid  him  against  the  British,  and  his 

defeat  and  fall  had  dragged  them  down  into  the  ruin  which  had 

24 


426 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


overtaken  him.  A few  of  them  were  very  gentlemanly-looking  men, 
and  courteous,  salaaming  to  us  as  we  passed  them.  But  it  was  too 
painful  to  complete  the  entire  round,  so  we  walked  sadly  away. 

On  the  27th  of  the  following  month  the  Emperor  was  put  upon 
his  trial  in  the  Dewanee  Khass,  having  counsel  to  aid  in  his  de- 
fense, and,  after  a patient  investigation  lasting  nineteen  days,  was 
found  guilty  on  all  the  charges  against  him,  and  sentenced  to  be 
transported  for  life.  Many  thought  the  sentence  too  light ; but  it 
was  probably  sufficiently  severe  thus  to  pass  from  a throne  to  the 
deck  of  a convict  ship,  to  end  his  days  among  strangers.  Zeenat 
Mahal  and  one  other  of  his  wives  shared  his  exile.  He  died  at 
Rangoon  in  1861.  Two  years  after,  when  in  Burmah  for  the  bene- 
fit of  my  health,  I had  the  opportunity  of  passing  by  his  lonely 
grave  behind  the  quarter  guard  of  the  English  lines.  But  no  Taj 
or  Mausoleum  will  ever  rise  over  the  spot  where  rests,  solitary  and 
alone,  on  a foreign  shore  and  in  a felon’s  grave,  the  last  descendant 
of  the  Great  Moguls  ! 

The  closing  words  in  the  defense  of  one  of  his  own  nobles,  the 
Nawab  of  Bullubghur,  whom  I saw  tried  and  sentenced  to  die  in 
that  same  Dewanee  Khass,  might  well  apply  to  his  Imperial  master. 
The  Nawab  was  a noble-looking  man,  with  dark,  lustrous  eyes,  and 
fine  figure,  clad  in  the  usual  style  of  an  Oriental  prince.  There  he 
stood,  during  those  long  hours,  before  that  commission  of  English 
Officers,  making  the  best  defense  he  could  for  his  life. 

He  admitted  the  charge,  but  pleaded  in  extenuation,  that  in 
sending  his  wealth  and  troops  to  Delhi  to  help  the  Emperor  he 
had  acted  under  compulsion.  This  was  known  to  be  untrue,  as  it 
was  well  understood  that  he  had  acted  freely  and  promptly,  and 
had  even  submitted  to  circumcision,  and  forsaken  his  Hindoo  faith, 
to  curry  favor  with  the  rising  Mohammedan  power. 

He  evidently  felt,  as  he  closed  his  address,  that  he  was  not  be- 
lieved— that  he  was  a doomed  man.  With  considerable  feeling, 
and  in  their  figurative  phraseology,  he  ended  his  defense  with 
these  words  : “ Gentlemen,  one  short  year  ago  I sat  on  the  topmost 
ibough  of  prosperity  and  honor ; in  an  evil  hour  I lent  my  ear  to 


WHY  THEY  FAILED.  4-7 

other  counsels — I sawed  asunder  the  branch  that  sustained  me, 
and  this  is  the  result  !" 

On  Christmas  day,  1857,  I attended  Christian  worship  in  the 
Dewanee  Khass — the  first  ever  celebrated  there.  A crowded 
audience  made  its  walls  resound  with  the  unwonted  strains  of 
Christian  hymns  ; and  there  that  day  the  Gospel  was  preached  and 
prayer  was  offered  in  the  blessed  Name  so  long  blasphemed  beneath 
that  roof.  As  I stood  amid  that  throng,  and  remembered  where 
I was,  and  what  had  there  been  said  and  done,  and  what  was  then 
transpiring,  I realized  that  I was  beholding  one  of  the  most  won- 
drous victories  ever  consummated  by  the  glorious  Son  of  God  over 
the  enemies  of  himself  and  his  holy  religion.  They  had  distinctly 
joined  issue  with  Him  on  this  very  ground  ; and  here  he  was,  in 
his  almighty  providence,  victorious  amid  the  utter  overthrow  of  the 
wealthiest,  most  powerful,  and  implacable  foes  of  his  divinity  and 
atonement;  expelling  them  from  the  “Paradise”  which  they  had 
profaned,  and  asserting  his  right,  ere  he  consigned  it  forever  to 
degradation  and  to  ruin,  to  use  even  their  Dewanee  Khass  for  his 
own  worship,  and  thus  answer,  in  divine  vengeance,  the  blasphemies 
against  himself  inscribed  upon  its  walls.  “Just  and  true  are  thy 
ways,  thou  King  of  saints  !” 

The  crystal  musnud,  (throne,)  the  last  remnant  of  its  glorious 
furniture,  was  carried  away,  a present  to  the  Queen  of  England. 
All  veneration  for  the  place  seemed  to  cease  by  common  consent ; 
the  visitors  and  soldiers  dug  out  the  precious  stones  from  the  walls 
and  pillars  with  their  knives,  and  it  was  soon  despoiled.  A few 
weeks  after,  I saw  its  crenated  arches  built  up  with  common  sun- 
dried  bricks,  and  the  whole  structure  whitewashed  and  turned  into 
a hospital:  for  sick  soldiers.  Its  destruction  was  at  last  complete ! 

The  rebels  failed,  and  that  failure  was  both  miserable  and  total. 
We  may  endeavor,  as  has  been  attempted  by  various  writers,  to 
account  for  that  failure  by  their  want  of  concert  as  to  the  time  of 
commencement ; by  the  escape  of  nine  tenths  of  those  whom  they 
intended  to  destroy ; by  their  want  of  leaders  of  ability,  (though 
the  Rebellion  developed  Tantia  Topee  and  Kooer  Singh  ;)  by  the 


428 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


fierce  contentions  of  their  chiefs  for  supremacy,  rank,  and  power ; 
by  the  fact  that  the  Hindoos,  disgusted  and  deceived,  deserted 
the  cause  ; by  the  perfidy  of  the  Mohammedans  in  the  hour  of  their 
triumph  ; by  the  heroism  and  endurance  of  the  British  soldiers, 
invincible  not  only  against  overwhelming  odds,  but  over  the  diffi- 
culties of  climate,  season,  sickness,  and  deficiency  of  resources  of 
all  kinds.  Yet,  after  all,  while  gratefully  and  cordially  admitting 
to  the  full  every  one  of  these  considerations,  and  all  the  aid  which 
they  involved  in  the  terrible  struggle,  even  wicked  men  in  India 
in  1857  and  1858  were  constrained  to  admit,  and  were  prompt 
to  acknowledge,  that  any  or  all  of  these  combined  could  not  and 
did  not  rescue  us  ; — that  our  salvation  was,  without  a doubt,  en- 
tirely due  to  the  special  interposition  of  Almighty  God.  It  was  the 
divine  help  that  gave  England’s  cause  the  victory,  and  gladly  and 
gratefully  did  they,  saint  and  sinner  together,  raise  their  private 
and  public  Ebenezers  to  Him  who  alone  had  saved  them  ! 

No  attribute  of  the  Almighty  could  take  part  with  the  Sepoy, 
the  Brahmin,  or  the  Mogul.  Every  hope  for  India  was  bound  up 
with  the  defeat  of  their  cruel,  self-interested,  and  wicked  purposes. 
Grateful  India  herself  will  yet  place  among  her  highest  mercies 
the  mighty  overthrow  of  1858. 

Mr.  Rees  has  truly  shown  that  the  merits  of  this  contest,  on  the 
part  of  the  natives,  was  a frantic  fear  and  hatred  of  the  growing 
influence  of  Christianity  ; that  it  was  not  a war  of  the  oppressed 
against  the  oppressors,  of  a nation  rising  against  their  rulers,  or  of 
Hindustanees  against  Englishmen  ; on  the  contrary,  that  it  was  a 
war  of  fanatical  religionists  against  Christians,  of  barbarism  against 
civilization,  of  error  and  darkness  against  truth  and  light.  Had  it 
been  different — had  patriotism  prompted  the  rebellion — had  the 
natives,  as  one  nation,  determined  to  shake  off  the  yoke  of  the  for- 
eigner, and  had  they  conducted  their  war  like  soldiers  and  brave 
men,  instead  of  acting  the  part  of  cowardly  assassins,  then  indeed 
might  they  have  enlisted  sympathy  for  their  cause  among  the  civ- 
ilized nations  of  the  earth,  and  found  defenders  and  advocates 
among  the  people  of  England  themselves. 


FREEDOM  FOREIGN  TO  EASTERN  MINDS.  4-9 

It  is  not  easy  to  impart  to  an  American  reader  a just  idea  of 
how  far  the  people  of  India — nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  out  of 
every  thousand  of  them — are  from  the  knowledge  of  freedom,  the 
appreciation  of  law,  or  the  rights  of  constitutional  government,  as 
we  understand  such  privileges.  One  of  their  own  educated  men 
speaks  but  the  simple  truth  of  them  when  he  says  : 

“ The  Oriental  mind  is  decidedly  wanting  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  construction  of  a civil  polity.  It  has  never  known,  nor  at- 
tempted to  know,  any  other  form  of  government  than  despotism. 
Political  science  and  political  reform  appear,  like  the  oak  and  the 
elm,  to  be  the  plants  of  the  soil  of  Europe  and  America.  Never 
has  any  effort  been  made  for  their  introduction  to  the  plains  of 
Persia  or  the  valley  of  the  Ganges.  Though  the  most  important 
of  all  branches  of  human  knowledge,  politics  have  never  engaged 
the  attention  of  the  people  of  the  East.  They  have  never  studied 
the  theory  and  practice  of  a constitutional  government,  never  con- 
ceived any  thing  like  republicanism,  never  understood  emanci- 
pation from  political  servitude,  never  known  a covenant  between 
the  subject  and  the  sovereign.  They  have  never  had  any  patriot- 
ism or  philanthropy,  any  common  spirit  and  unity  for  the  public 
weal,  or  what  it  is  to  govern  for  the  good,  not  of  the  fewest,  but  of 
the  greatest,  number.” — Travels  of  a Hindoo , Vol.  II,  p.  408. 

Progress,  preservation  of  order,  the  physical  and  moral  well-being 
of  the  people,  the  advance  the  world  has  made  in  humanity — a 
humanity  that  is  extended  even  to  the  inferior  animals — they  do 
not  understand.  They  have  only  just  begun  to  dream  about  them, 
and,  even  for  the  dream  of  the  blessed  day  that  is  dawning,  they 
are  (as  the  evidences  which  I have  furnished  show)  wholly  indebted 
to  the  Christianity  which  has  come  at  last  and  breathed  the  thought 
into  their  slumbering  souls. 


430 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REBELLION  TO  CHRISTIANITY  AND  CIVILIZATION. 


ROM  Delhi  we  went  on  to  Meerut,  where  we  remained  two 


months,  while  the  troops  were  clearing  the  country  of  the 
scattered  bands  of  Sepoys  between  that  point  and  Cawnpore,  and 
restoring  order,  so  that  mails  and  passengers  might  once  more 
move  up  and  down  to  Calcutta.  More  British  troops  had  arrived, 
and  the  Commander-in-chief  was  directing  the  movements  of  the 
five  columns  into  which  the  army  was  divided,  our  position  at 
Meerut  being  about  central  to  all  the  operations,  and  about  forty 
miles  from  the  nearest  of  them. 

Here  I had  the  joy  of  again  meeting  our  dear  friend  Lieutenant 
(now  Colonel)  Gowan,  who  escaped  from  Bareilly,  and  had  been 
hidden  for  so  many  months  in  a Hindoo  house,  as  narrated  on 
page  248.  He  had  managed  at  last  to  communicate  with  the 
English  authorities  here,  and  even  before  a sufficient  length  of  the 
roads  westward  was  clear,  his  rescue  was  attempted.  The  kind 
Hindoos  who  had  sheltered  him,  when  all  had  been  arranged,  took 
him  by  night  in  a bylee,  (a  native  carriage  used  by  ladies,)  with 
the  curtains  closed,  under  pretense  of  going  to  the  Ganges  to 
bathe.  A boat  was  quietly  procured,  and  they  ran  him  across  the 
river  to  the  other  bank,  where  an  elephant  and  a band  of  cavalry 
were  awaiting  him,  and  before  sunrise  he  was  safe  in  Meerut. 
How  we  rejoiced  together  ! The  last  time  I saw  this  Christian 
officer  (who  used  to  help  us  occasionally  in  conducting  our  Hin- 
dustanee  meeting)  was  in  Bareilly  on  the  evening  before  we  left, 
when  I was  trying,  in  our  English  service,  to  strengthen  our  hands 
in  God  by  preaching  from  the  text,  “As  thy  day,  so  shall' thy 
strength  be.”  For  nearly  seven  months,  though  in  jeopardy  every 
hour,  did  God  fulfill  to  him  that  precious  promise,  till  he  saw  fit  to 


COLONEL  GO  WAN'S  MUNIFICENCE. 


431 


terminate  his  captivity  and  bring  him  forth  in  safety,  and  now  heie 
we  were  again  together,  consulting  about  God’s  precious  work. 

In  the  course  of  conversation  I happened  to  remark  that  I was 
di  route  for  Calcutta,  when  he  suddenly  lifted  himself  up,  and 
looking  me  in  the  face,  inquired,  “ What,  are  you  going  to  leave 
the  country  ?”  (fearing  for  the  moment  that  I was  discouraged  and 
about  to  abandon  the  work.)  I looked  into  his  earnest  counte- 
nance and  replied,  “ Leave  the  country  ! No,  sir.  The  devil  has 
done  his  worst,  but  he  may  be  assured  that  we  arc  not  going  to 
yield  the  field  to  him  now  that  the  fight  is  won.  So  far  from  it,  I 
am  going  down  to  bring  up  the  first  band  of  my  missionary  breth- 
ren, with  whom  I expect  soon  to  be  preaching  Christ  through  all 
Rohilcund.” 

I shall  long  remember  the  immediate  effect  of  my  reply.  He 
looked  at  me  for  a moment,  then  paused,  and 

“Delight  o’er  all  his  features  stole.” 

His  very  moustache  twitched  again  with  pleasure,  and,  with  a 
smile  covering  his  entire  countenance,  he  turned  away,  and  said 
not  another  word. 

He  made  over  to  me  an  orphan  boy  whom  he  had  rescued  from 
danger  and  misery,  to  whom  he  had  given  his  own  name,  and  prom- 
ised to  be  responsible  for  his  support  and  education  from  that  day. 

This  was  the  origin  of  our  Boy’s  Orphanage,  and  its  first  mem- 
ber, thus  received,  was  the  son  of  a Sepoy  officer  killed  in  battle, 
the  poor  child  being  found  on  the  back  of  an  elephant,  where  his 
father  had  left  him  during  the  fight.  In  the  midst  of  his  sorrow 
he  fell  into  the  hands  of  Colonel  Gowan,  who  promised  to  be  a 
father  to  him,  which  pledge  he  has  faithfully  redeemed,  and  the 
orphanage  is  to-day  its  result. 

This  devoted  servant  of  God  encouraged  and  stood  by  me  in  all 
my  future  plans  for  the  extension  of  our  mission.  No  other  man 
in  the  East  or  in  America  has  given  half  as  much  money  to 
develop  our  work  in  India  as  Colonel  Gowan  has  contributed.  He 
aided  me  in  procuring  homes  for  the  missionaries,  in  establishing 


432 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


our  Orphanage  and  Training  School,  and  he  built  and  endowed  the 
schools  in  Khera  Bajhera,  (the  village  where  he  was  so  long  shel- 
tered,) so  that  his  liberality  to  our  mission  work,  up  to  the  present, 
cannot  be  much  less  than  $15,000,  and  yet  this  liberal  gentleman 
was  a member  of  another  Church — the  Church  of  England  ; but  he 
is  the  type  of  a large  and  an  increasing  class  of  Christian  English- 
men in  India  who  prize  our  work,  and  are  glad  to  aid  it. 

Apropos  of  leaving  the  country,  while  in  Meerut  I received  a 
letter  from  Brother  Wentworth,  in  China,  inviting  me  to  join  them 
in  Foochow.  He  says  : “ If  British  predominance  is  not  soon 
established,  get  leave  of  the  Board  and  come  on  here,  where  there 
is  as  great  need  of  laborers  as  in  India.” 

Well,  that  was  all  very  good  ; but,  on  reading  further  in  the  Uoc 
tor’s  letter,  I was  highly  amused  to  find  the  guarantee  of  additional 
security  which  I was  to  enjoy  by  following  the  course  suggested. 
My  good  brother  added  : “ Last  spring  we  were  fearing  the  rebels 
might  drive  us  from  this  station,  and  are  not  now  without  appre- 
hensions that  the  war  between  Canton  and  England  may  become 
a general  one,  and  result  in  the  temporary  expulsion  of  all  foreign- 
ers from  the  empire.  In  case  of  any  sudden  outbreak  we  are  in 
an  unfortunate  situation  for  escape,  being  ten  or  twelve  miles  from 
the  foreign  shipping,  and  no  vessel  of  war  near.  A sudden  and 
decisive  outbreak  might  cost  us  our  lives  at  any  moment.”  This 
for  me  would  have  been  “out  of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire” 
with  a vengeance.  Indeed,  I thought  my  circumstances  were 
every  way  preferable  to  his,  so  far  as  British  predominance  and 
personal  security  were  concerned,  and  concluded  that  I might  well 
return  the  compliment,  and  invite  my  good-natured  brother,  if 
driven  from  his  post,  to  come  and  join  me. 

However,  it  is  our  privilege  to  live  by  faith,  and  as  the  Doctor 
observes,  to  “ feel  secure  in  the  protection  of  Him  who  guides  revo- 
lutions among  the  nations  as  he  does  tempests  in  the  sky.” 

I did  not  proceed  to  Calcutta,  because,  from  the  center  which  I 
then  occupied,  I was  soon  satisfied  that  the  country  was  fast  quiet- 
ing down,  and  that  my  brethren  would  be  able  immediately  to  join 


ENTERTAINED  IN  THE  TAJ.  433 

me,  when  we  could  afterward  proceed  to  our  own  field  of  labor  and 
begin  our  work. 

While  at  Meerut  my  aid  was  requested,  as  one  of  “ the  Rohil- 
cund  Refugees,”  to  help  the  Postmaster  in  the  melancholy  task  of 
looking  over  the  bags  of  letters,  directed  to  gentlemen  in  that  pro- 
vince by  their  correspondents  at  home  in  England,  which  had 
accumulated  there  for  months.  I could  tell  who  were  dead,  and, 
generally,  where  the  others  were  scattered,  so  as  to  intimate  how 
he  should  direct  them.  It  was  a sad  sight  to  see  the  pile  of  letters 
from  anxious  friends  which  had  to  be  returned  to  England,  because 
those  addressed  were  no  longer  among  the  living. 

Early  in  March  it  seemed  practicable  to  have  the  two  mission- 
aries and  their  wives  join  me.  The  only  portion  of  the  way  where 
there  was  any  danger  was  from  Cawnpore  to  within  twenty  miles 
of  Agra,  from  parties  of  Sepoys  crossing  the  Grand  Trunk  road. 
The  telegraph  had  been  restored,  and  the  mails  were  coming  twice 
a day.  I went  on  from  Meerut  to  Agra,  to  get  into  direct  com- 
munication with  them.  Through  the  kindness  of  the  Postmaster 
and  the  use  of  the  telegraph,  I kept  myself  well  acquainted  with 
the  condition  of  the  road  as  they  advanced.  They  had  directions 
to  call  at  every  telegraph  office  which  they  passed,  so  that  if  there 
had  been  any  danger  ahead  of  them  I could  at  once  have  stopped 
them  at  any  station,  until  it  had  passed  away ; but,  by  the  “ good 
hand  of  God  upon  them,”  they  reached  me  at  Agra  in  perfect  safety 
on  the  the  11th  of  March.  The  destroyed  houses  of  the  English 
were  still  in  ruins,  and  the  people  all  in  the  Fort,  which  was  crowded  ; 
so  that  at  first  I did  not  know  where  or  how  I could  prepare  for 
them  a night’s  lodging,  ere  they  resumed  their  journey  on  to  Meerut. 
But  in  these  circumstances  I thought  the  magnificent  Taj  none  too 
good  for  them.  So  I arranged  all,  and  on  their  arrival  had  them 
comfortably  lodged  in  this  “ Wonder  of  the  World.”  Ours  was  a 
joyful  meeting,  and  the  splendid  Taj  Mahal  was  worthy  to  be  the 
scene  of  it. 

Little  did  Shah  Jehan,  or  his  bigoted  Moomtaj-i-Mahal,  imagine 
that  a day  would  come  when  this  matchless  mausoleum  would  be 


434 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIE  VEDA. 


occupied  by  a party  of  Christian  missionaries,  at  a time,  too,  when 
the  last  Mogul  of  their  line — after  an  effort  to  fulfill  the  carnelian 
prohibition  upon  her  cenotaph,  and  carry  out  Jehan’s  fierce  order, 
“Expel  those  idolaters  from  my  dominions!” — would  be  himself  a 
prisoner  awaiting  his  doom,  in  the  hands  of  that  very  “ tribe,”  (see 
page  147;)  or  that  these  missionaries  would,  as  we  did,  promenade 
in  peace,  in  the  delicious  moonlight,  through  that  lovely  garden 
which  he  planted,  and  sing  our  Christian  doxology,  with  unction 
and  glowing  hearts,  standing  over  their  very  dust,  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  that  powerless  and  mistaken  prohibition  ! 

We  left  the  Taj  the  following  afternoon,  by  way  of  Meerut,  for 
Nynee  Tal,  as  we  could  there  best  devote  ourselves  to  the  acquisi- 
tion of  the  language,  and  be  ready  to  descend  to  Bareilly  and  our 
other  stations  when  God  had  prepared  our  way,  after  the  reoccupa- 
tion of  Rohilcund  by  the  English  Government.  Joel  had  been 
directed  to  join  us  on  the  route.  Notwithstanding  the  distance 
and  danger,  all  was  correctly  timed  and  safely  accomplished.  The 
day  after  I received  the  Missionaries  at  the  Taj  Mahal,  I joyfully 
clasped  Joel’s  hand  once  more,  on  the  road  to  Meerut.  It  was  to 
both  of  us  like  life  from  the  dead.  His  devoted  wife  remained 
under  the  care  of  her  mother  till  Rohilcund  and  Oude  were  cleared 
of  the  rebels,  when  she  rejoined  us  at  Lucknow,  from  which  place 
I afterward  moved  them  to  Bareilly,  where  we  were  again  together 
on  the  scene  of  our  former  sufferings. 

We  reached  Nynee  Tal  in  safety,  and  at  once  entered  upon  our 
mission  work,  and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a little  con- 
gregation collected.  We  also  commenced  a Christian  day-school 
for  the  native  children  in  the  Bazaar. 

I present  a rough  sketch  of  our  first  chapel,  drawn  by  Sister 
Pierce.  Our  room  having  become  inconveniently  small  for  the 
number  of  natives  attending  the  preaching,  we  greatly  needed  some 
larger  place  for  worship.  The  only  building  available  then  was  a 
sheep-house,  which  stood  on  the  side  of  a hill.  This,  we  concluded, 
could  be  turned  into  a chapel.  It  was  done  in  three  or  four  days. 
We  cleared  it  out ; a quantity  of  clay  was  thrown  in  and  leveled, 


THE  S1IEEP-U0  USE  CONGJIEGA  TIOX. 


437 


which,  beaten  down,  made  a good  floor.  I whitewashed  it,  Brothers 
Pierce  and  Humphrey  made  the  benches,  and  Joel  saw  to  the 
leveling  of  the  ground  outside.  When  it  was  finished  and  swept 
out,  though  too  humble  to  have  a formal  or  public  “dedication” 
awarded  it,  yet  I resolved  that  a hearty  consecration  to  God’s 
service  it  should  not  lack  ; so,  shutting  the  door,  and  all  alone,  I 
kneeled  down  and  offered  up  to  the  condescending  God  of  mercy 
this  humblest  of  all  the  “places  where  he  records  his  name,”  and 
earnestly  besought  him  to  make  it  the  birthplace  of  some  of  those 
poor,  dark  souls  that,  during  the  ensuing  six  months,  would  come 
to  worship  there. 

When  Sunday  arrived,  the  smiles  and  congratulations  of  our 
ladies  were  really  delightful.  They  could  not  imagine  how  we  had 
made  such  a commodious-looking  affair  out  of  such  a place  as  it 
had  been.  “ Why,  it  looks  almost  like  a church  ! ” they  said.  Even 
the  poor  natives  caught  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  and,  as  they  came 
in  and  seated  themselves,  looked  around  smiling  and  nodding  to 
each  other. 

The  entire  cost  of  fitting  up,  including  the  boards  and  nails  for 
the  seats,  was  four  dollars  and  thirty-six  cents.  Only  missionaries 
— and  missionaries  under  such  circumstances — could  adequately 
appreciate  our  joy  over  this  humble  commencement. 

I also  present  another  sketch,  (on  the  top  of  the  next  page,)  that 
will  give  an  idea  of  the  appearance  of  our  congregation  inside  the 
“ Sheep-House”  Chapel. 

The  reader  can  imagine  that  he  sees  Joel  preaching,  and  we 
sitting  around  him,  the  congregation  being  in  front.  The  women 
sit  on  the  benches  to  the  right ; the  men  in  the  center.  Two  poles, 
supporting  the  roof,  run  up  in  the  center  of  the  house. 

We  occupied  this  humble  place  for  some  months,  when  our  wor- 
thy commandant,  Colonel  Ramsay,  (to  whom,  next  to  Colonel 
Gowan,  our  mission  is  most  indebted  for  munificent  financial  aid,) 
seeing  our  earnestness  and  success,  resolved  that  we  should  have 
a house  more  worthy  of  our  cause.  The  result  was  the  erection  of 
our  Nynee  Tal  chapel,  costing  about  $2,500,  the  whole  amount 


438 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


The  Sheep-House  Congregation. 


being  subscribed  by  the  Colonel  and  his  acquaintances  and  friends 
in  Nynee  Tal  and  Almorah. 

Lucknow  was  recaptured,  and  the  English  Government  restored 
there,  at  the  close  of  March.  The  defeated  Sepoys  fled  into  Rohil- 
cund,  or  across  the  Grand  Trunk  Road  into  Central  India,  with  the 
columns  of  British  troops  in  pursuit.  Jhansee  and  Gwalior  were 
recaptured,  and  Kooer  Singh  and  the  Ranee  of  Jhansee  killed. 
This  was  followed  by  the  capture  and  death  of  Tantia  Topee. 
Most  of  the  other  chiefs  surrendered,  and  the  columns  were  at  last 
turned  northward  for  the  pacification  of  Rohilcund.  Three  of 
them,  including  the  one  led  by  the  Commander-in-chief,  were  to 
concentrate  on  Bareilly,  then  viewed  as  “ the  metropolis  of  the 
revolt.”  On  the  5th  of  May,  within  a few  hours  of  each  other,  and 
from  opposite  directions,  they  approached  that  city.  Sir  Colin 
Campbell  led  his  column  by  the  Futtyghur  road,  General  Penny 
his  by  the  Allyghur  road,  through  Budaon,  and  General  Jones  the 
third,  by  way  of  Moradabad.  Here  was  to  be  the  last  great  effort, 
and  it  was  fought,  the  dispatch  says,  amid  “ a mass  of  one-storied 
houses  in  front  of  the  British  lines,”  that  is,  it  was  fought  on  the 
very  ground  where  I had  lived,  our  ruined  house  and  garden  being 
by  the  road-side,  between  the  cantonments  and  the  city,  in  the  very 


TIIE  BATTLE  OF  BAREILLY. 


439 


center  of  the  contest,  the  walls  of  the  houses  giving  shelter  to  the 
Sepoys  as  they  awaited  the  onslaught  of  the  Commander-in-chief’s 
forces. 

The  rebels  were  headed  by  the  Nana  Sahib  of  Cawnpore,  Prince 
Feroze  Shah  of  Delhi,  and  Khan  Bahadur  of  Bareilly,  and  with 
them  was  the  Begum  of  Oude  and  her  troops.  So  here,  as  it  ha'p- 
pened,  were  concentrated  for  the  final  effort  the  living  representa- 
tives of  the  four  great  centers  of  the  Sepoy  Rebellion.  Their 
resolve  and  fighting  on  that  dreadful  day  were  worthy  of  the  des- 
perate cause  and  the  desperate  men,  who  well  knew  that  this  was 
to  be  their  final  chance  ; that  here,  at  last,  it  was  to  be  for  them 
either  death  or  victory.  The  43d  and  79th  Highlanders  bore  the 
brunt  of  the  struggle,  which  was  short  and  sharp.  A body  of 
Ghazees  (Mohammedan  fanatics  of  the  most  desperate  character) 
led  the  Sepoys.  These  men,  sword  in  hand,  with  their  bossed 
bucklers  on  their  left  arms,  and  their  characteristic  green  waist- 
bands, rushed  out  of  their  concealment  to  the  attack,  brandishing 
their  tulwars  over  their  heads,  and  shrieking  out  their  favorite  cry, 
“ Bismillah  Allah  ! deen  ! deen  !”  (“  Glory  to  Allah  ! the  faith  ! the 
faith!”)  In  the  confusion  they  were  not  recognized  as  distin- 
guished from  the  Sikhs,  who  were  fighting  with  the  British,  till 
they  came  close  on  the  side  of  the  43d  Highlanders.  The  Com- 
mander-in-chief had  just  time  to  cry  out,  “ Steady,  men,  steady  ! 
close  up  ; bayonet  them  when  the  struggle  ensued.  Russell, 
the  “special  correspondent”  of  the  London  Times , who  was  pres- 
ent, gives  a vivid  picture  of  this  fearful  moment.  He  himself  was 
wounded,  as  were  General  Walpole,  Colonel  Cameron,  and  others, 
for  the  Ghazees  seem  to  have  made  straight  for  the  officers  ; but 
the  quick  bayonets  of  the  43d  closed  around  them,  and  in  ten  min- 
utes the  dead  bodies  of  the  devoted  band  (as  their  name  implies) 
were  lying  in  the  circle.  Not  a man  of  the  one  hundred  and 

thirty-three  turned  back.  They  all  believed,  according  to  the 

tenets  of  their  creed,  that  they  were  martyrs,  and  were  sure  of 
paradise  if  they  fell. 

Nearly  twenty  of  the  Highlanders  were  wounded  in  the  struggle, 


440 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


the  Commander-in-chief  having  had  a narrow  escape.  A Ghazee, 
with  tulwar  in  hand,  was  lying,  feigning  death,  in  front  of  him,  and 
as  he  approached,  the  fellow  sprang  to  his  feet  to  kill  him,  when 
the  quick  eye  of  a mounted  Sikh  soldier  saw  the  move,  and  (Rus- 
sell says)  “ with  a whistling  stroke  of  his  saber  he  cut  off  the 
Ghazee’s  head  with  one  blow,  as  if  it  had  been  the  bulb  of  a 
poppy  ! ” General  Penny  was  killed  near  Kukrowlee.  The  Com- 
mander-in-chief had  only  a skeleton  staff.  He  had  completely 
“ used  up  ” more  than  one  set  of  officers,  and  on  this  occasion 
had  only  his  chief  of  staff,  General  Mansfield,  with  Captain  John- 
son, to  aid  him.  Under  such  circumstances  the  battle  of  Bareilly 
was  fought  and  won  before  the  sun  went  down.  Early  next  morn- 
ing the  city  was  attacked,  but  it  was  found  that  during  the  night 
the  Sepoys  had  fled,  with  Khan  Bahadur  and  the  other  rebel  lead- 
ers. The  city  surrendered  at  once,  save  some  Ghazees,  whose 
positions  had  to  be  stormed.  A timely  proclamation  of  am- 
nesty to  all  save  notorious  rebels  and  murderers,  with  precautions 
to  prevent  any  plundering,  restored  confidence  to  the  terrified 
inhabitants,  and  they  willingly  submitted  once  more  to  British 
rule  and  protection. 

It  was  at  this  spot  that  the  Nana  Sahib  last  saw  the  face,  and 
witnessed  the  prowess,  of  the  white  man ; and  it  was  from  this  bat- 
tle-field he  took  that  departure  for  the  jungles  of  Oude  mentioned 
on  page  309  of  this  work.  It  is  some  satisfaction  to  have  the 
assurance  from  good  authority  that  two,  at  least,  of  the  companions 
of  his  flight,  the  Begum  of  Oude  and  Prince  Feroze  Shah,  de- 
nounced his  cruel  treachery  at  Cawnpore,  as  having  brought  the 
curse  of  God  upon  the  native  cause.  The  deadly  Terai  was  but 
forty-eight  miles  away.  It  was  the  only  shelter  in  all  India  that  was 
open  to  receive  them.  He  and  his  companions,  and  the  remnants 
of  the  rebel  host,  entered  its  malarious  inclosures,  and,  save  Khan 
Bahadur,  who  lagged  behind  in  its  outskirts,  and  was  captured  and 
brought  back  to  Bareilly,  the  rest  of  the  unhappy  crew  found  sick- 
ness, despair,  and  death  within  .its  gloomy  shades.  Thus,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  ended  the  great  Sepoy  Rebellion,  and  the 


VISIT  TO  MY  RUINED  HOME. 


441 


twelve  months  of  its  Mohammedan  misrule  and  cruelty  closed 
amid  the  dying  groans  of  its  emissaries  at  the  foot  of  our  hills,  and 
almost  within  sight  of  our  place  of  refuge. 

Our  impatience  now  to  go  down  to  our  work  in  the  plains  was 
sorely  tried  by  the  refusal  of  the  Commander-in-chief  to  permit  us 
to  do  so  for  some  weeks  longer — the  ladies  he  would  not  allow  to  do 
so  till  October,  not  only  because  the  country  needed  to  be  cleared 
and  quieted,  but  also  because  houses  had  first  to  be  built  for  them. 
At  length  the  permission  came  for  gentlemen  to  go  down,  and  taking 
the  road  to  Moradabad,  lest  that  through  the  Terai,  on  the  Huldwa- 
nee  side,  might  have  straggling  Sepoys  in  it,  we  reached  Bareilly 
on  the  28th  of  August.  We  found  every  thing,  of  course,  much 
changed.  The  burned  houses  and  bare  walls  had  a look  of  fearful 
desolation  about  them. 

On  entering  Bareilly  I went,  first  of  all,  to  my  oivn  residence , 
(which  was  so,  fifteen  months  before.)  Nothing  was  standing  but 
the  bare  walls  ; the  floors  were  all  grown  over  with  deep  grass.  I 
called  a coolie,  and  dug  up  the  rubbish  in  my  once  comfortable  study, 
and  we  soon  came  on  the  charred  remains  of  my  precious  books. 
All  had  been  destroyed  by  fire ! I took  up  a handful  of  the  burnt 
paper,  and  of  the  melted  glass  of  the  book-cases,  as  a memento,  and 
walked  away  to  the  spot  where  Maria  lay  buried  beside  the  rose 
hedge,  and  then  on  to  where  Joel’s  house  stood.  What  a change 
from  the  day  I last  stood  there!  But  no  murmuring  thought  arose. 
It  was  all  well : “ Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord  !”  We  were  to 
begin  again,  and  that,  too,  under  brighter  prospects  than  India  ever  , 
knew  before.  I wandered  all  over  Bareilly.  The  people  were  very 
civil.  I knew  that  I loved  them  then  better  than  I had  ever  done, 
and  felt  sure  that  God  would  yet  have  mercy  upon  them,  and  that 
we  should  soon  see  days  of  grace  in  Bareilly. 

I then  wandered  off  toward  the  encampment  of  the  English 
troops,  and  one  of  the  first  gentlemen  whom  I met  was  our  dear,  good 
friend  Dr.  Bowhill,  safe  from  Delhi,  and  the  rest  of  his  campaigns. 
The  warm-hearted  Scotchman  hugged  me  up  to  his  heart,  and  wept 
for  joy  that  we  should  meet  again,  after  all  we  had  gone  through, 


442 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


on  the  same  old  ground  where  we  first  met,  and  where  God  had 
blessed  his  soul  in  the  dark  days  before  the  mutiny. 

And  then  I found  kind  General  Troup,  to  whose  prudence  we 
owed  our  lives.  He  was  in  command  of  Havelock’s  Brigade,  and 
worthy  of  the  position.  The  excellent  Magistrate  also  received  us 
cordially,  and  advised  an  immediate  commencement  of  our  work, 
promising  to  aid  us  in  every  way.  Before  I was  twenty-four  hours 
in  Bareilly  a subscription  was  started  to  help  us  in  organizing  our 
missions.  That  financial  liberality  has  continued,  year  by  year  in- 
creasing, to  this  day;  those  excellent  men,  in  the  civil  and  military 
service  of  England,  have  since  furnished  the  means  required  to 
carry  on  our  system  of  Christian  schools  and  our  Orphanages,  aver- 
aging over  $10,000  gold  per  annum.*  We  promised,  as  soon  as  our 
Mission  in  Lucknow  was  commenced,  to  begin  the  work  at  Bareilly. 
At  the  latter  we  could  not  yet  find  shelter,  but  in  Lucknow  houses 
could  at  once  be  obtained,  by  the  assistance  of  Sir  Robert  Mont- 
gomery, the  successor  of  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  in  the  government 
of  Oude.  He  was  kind  enough  to  write  to  me  and  advise  our  imme- 
diate occupancy  of  that  city,  and  we  were  now  cn  route  to  do  so. 

The  Sabbath  was  a blessed  day.  The  troops  (two  thousand  seven 
hundred  men)  then  stationed  in  Bareilly  were  chiefly  Scottish  regi- 
ments. The  Chaplain  being  sick,  the  General  commanding  sent  tc 
request  that  I would  undertake  the  chaplain’s  duties  for  the  Sab- 
bath. Of  course  I gladly  did  so.  My  opportunity  was  one  I shall 
never  forget.  Arriving  on  the  parade-ground,  I found  the  troops 
drawn  up.  I took  my  stand  ; the  men  were  formed  in  a “hollow 
square,”  the  drum  of  the  regiment  was  placed  before  me,  and  a 
Bible  and  Psalm  Book  lay  upon  it.  The  General  and  his  officers 
stood  beside  me,  and  the  band  behind.  I gave  out  the  one  hun- 
dredth Psalm,  and  the  music  and  voices  rose  up  on  the  Sabbath 
air  to  heaven,  I then  prayed  with  an  overflowing  heart,  and  stood 
up  to  preach  “ the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God." 

My  emotions  almost  overwhelmed  me  when  I looked  at  my  audi- 
ence. For  who  were  the  men  that  stood  around  me  ? These  were 
* See  Statistical  Table  No.  I,  page  528. 


CONDUCTING  WORSHIP  FOR  HAVELOCK'S  MEN.  443 

Havelock's  heroes  ! the  illustrious  warriors  who  first  relieved  the 
garrison  of  Lucknow.  Yes,  these  brave  men  before  me  had  per- 
formed one  of  the  greatest  military  feats  known  to  history,  and  did 
it,  too,  notwithstanding  that  they  lost  nearly  one  half  of  their 
number  in  its  execution.  I looked  at  their  sun-browned  faces,  and 
thought  of  the  manly  tears  they  shed  when,  covered  with  dust  and 
smoke,  they  rushed  through  the  last  street  and  into  the  “ Residency” 
among' the  men  and  women  whom  they  had  suffered  so  much  to 
rescue,  and,  snatching  up  the  children  in  their  arms,  thanked  God 
“ that  they  were  in  time  to  save  them  !" 

Noble  men  ! I realized,  as  I stood  before  them,  that  their  fame  be- 
longs to  our  nation  as  much  as  to  their  own.  And  I shall  ever  esteem 
it  one  of  the  highest  privileges  of  my  life  that  I was  permitted  to 
preach,  and  that,  too,  on  the  very  ground  of  their  last  battle-field,  to 
the  men  that  General  Havelock  led  to  the  relief  of  Lucknow ! 

Though  it  anticipates  the  time  somewhat,  I may  here  mention 
that  Khan  Bahadur  was  captured  and  brought  into  Bareilly.  He 
and  four  or  five  others  were  confined  in  the  little  fort,  awaiting  their 
trial.  Wishing  to  see  my  old  neighbor,  and  say  a word  to  him 
before  he  died,  I obtained  permission  to  do  so,  accompanied  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Humphrey.  There,  in  his  cell,  we  found  Khan  Bahadur, 
his  long  white  beard  hanging  down  nearly  to  his  waist.  It  was  a 
trying  moment  for  us  both.  Here  was  the  man  who  sent  to  my 
house  to  kill  me  and  my  family,  who  expressed  his  deep  disappoint- 
ment at  our  having  escaped  his  hands,  and  who  afterward  set  a 
price  upon  my  head  ! This  was  the  man,  too,  who  had  deliberately 
murdered  Judge  Robertson,  Judge  Raikes,  Dr.  Hay,  and  many 
more  of  my  acquaintance! 

What  a- curious  thing  is  human  nature!  Here  was  a criminal, 
of  whose  deep  guilt  no  one  that  knew  him  could  have  the  least 
doubt ; and  yet  an  author  like  Montgomery  Martin,  who  never  saw 
him,  and  had  no  adequate  knowledge  of  his  desperate  wickedness, 
half  undertakes  to  whitewash  his  ensanguined  fame ! But  this  is 
consistent  with  Mr.  Martin’s  course,  in  his  efforts  to  find  cause  of 

commiseration  for  the  Delhi  Emperor,  while  he  seems  to  exhibit 

25 


444 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


but  scanty  sympathy  for  the  victims  oi  the  Delhi  court-  an  author 
who  can  indulge  in  cold-hearted  and  cynical  criticism  upon  such  men 
as  Sir  R.  Montgomery  and  Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  who  went  through 
fiery  trials  of  responsibility  of  which  he,  in  his  comfortable  London 
home,  ten  thousand  miles  away  from  their  danger,  could  have  little 
idea.  I am  sorry  to  write  these  words.  But  I was  there,  he  was 
not ; and  I know  whereof  I affirm,  and  can  conscientiously  say 
that  I consider  some  of  Mr.  Martin’s  representations  in  his  “ Indian 
Empire”  to  be  unworthy  of  the  confidence  of  the  American  pub- 
lic. His  slurs  and  innuendoes  caused  deep  feeling  in  the  minds 
of  some  of  the  best  men  in  India,  many  of  whom  were  not  at  all 
his  intellectual  inferiors,  while  they  were  his  superiors  in  opportu- 
nities for  forming  correct  opinions.  They  had  not  to  depend,  as  he 
seems  to  have  done  for  some  of  his  representations,  upon  hasty  and 
partial  statements,  or  such  writers  as  “Bull-Run  Russell!”  His 
glorification  of  Sir  Colin  Campbell  and  Sir  James  Outram,  to  the 
prejudice  of  General  Havelock  and  Sir  John  Lawrence,  only  shows 
that  he  had  his  favorites,  and  would  belittle  other  men  to  make 
them  look  greater.  But  we  in  India  knew  the  difference,  and  it 
was  the  conviction  of  many  there,  competent  to  give  an  opinion 
upon  such  matters,  that  Sir  Colin  Campbell  was  not  only  slow,  but 
that  he  did  nothing  more  than  what  any  brave  English  officer  could 
have  done  with  the  same  resources.  As  to  Sir  James  Outram,  so 
far  as  the  establishment  of  Christianity  in  the  Valley  of  the  Ganges 
is  concerned,  I know  from  my  own  personal  intercourse  with  both, 
and  their  actions,  that  we  may  have  great  reason  to  be  thankful 
that  Sir  James  Outram  was  superseded,  and  the  evangelically  cou- 
rageous Sir  Robert  Montgomery  was  appointed  to  be  ruler  of  Oude 
during  the  founding  of  our  Mission  in  that  kingdom. 

Mr.  Martin’s  peculiar  notions  on  the  lawfulness  or  expediency  of 
capital  punishment  must  have  been  often  offended  by  the  events  of 
the  time.  It  would,  however,  have  been  but  fair  to  have  extended 
the  benefit  of  his  doctrine  as  fully  to  the  victims  of  the  Sepoys  as 
to  the  Sepoys  themselves.  It  may,  however,  be  doubted  if  his  nar- 
rative shows  this  clearly.  The  consideration  he  seems  so  ready  to 


VISIT  TO  KHAN  BAHADUR  IN  RIHSON. 


445 


exhibit  for  the  Sepoys  is  an  anomaly  not  easily  accounted  for  ; but 
he  has  found  few  sympathizers.  I would  not  speak  too  harshly, 
even  of  a criminal  ; yet  I will  take  the  responsibility  of  saying,  that 
J never  saw-or  heard  of  men  to  whom,  more  appropriately  or  deserv- 
edly than  to  the  Sepoys  and  their  chiefs,  could  be  applied  the  terri- 
ble character  given  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  when  he  so  fully  describes 
those  whose  profanity,  crimes,  and  riot,  exhibit  them  “as  natural 
brute  beasts,  made  to  be  taken  and  destroyed.”  2 Peter  ii,  12. 
They  were  men  who  neither  knew  nor  showed  mercy,  any  more  than 
would  be  exhibited  by  the  tigers  of  their  own  jungles  ; and  toward 
whom  the  most  just  and  saintly  magistrate  on  earth  would  be  guilty, 
before  God  and  human  society,  if  he  should  fail  to  “ bear  the  sword 
in  vain,”  until  he  had,  at  least,  controlled  their  cruelty  and  stopped 
their  power  for  further  mischief. 

Mr.  Martin  has  not  increased  his  fame  by  thus  obtruding  upon 
his  countrymen  his  mistaken  and  conceited  assumptions  of  “ impar- 
tiality” toward  bloodthirsty  wretches  who,  as  a class,  so  generally 
(I  might  almost  say  universally)  proved  themselves  ready,  from  the 
first  hour  to  the  last,  to  become  the  destroyers  of  churches,  the 
murderers  of  the  ministers  of  God,  and  the  slayers  of  undefended 
women  and  children. 

But  to  return  to  Khan  Bahadur.  He  asked  me  how  had  I 
escaped  ? I told  him.  He  seemed  uneasy,  and  evidently  thought 
that  my  visit  was  in  some  way  connected  with  his  approaching 
trial.  I assured  him  that  he  might  dismiss  all  anxiety  upon  that 
point — my  testimony  was  not  required.  Far  worse  than  I could 
present  had  been  heaped  up  by  his  own  fearful  actions,  and  was 
now  ready  for  his  condemnation.  I had  come,  with  my  brother 
Missionary,  to  visit  him  with  a kind  intention  ; that  I forgave  him 
all  the  harm  he  did  me  in  the  destruction  of  my  home  and  prop- 
erty, and  the  more  serious  harm  which  he  intended  to  do  in  taking 
our  lives  ; that  our  only  object  in  coming  was  to  converse  with  him 
about  his  poor  soul,  which  would  so  soon  have  to  appear  before 
God,  as  we  felt  sure  that  his  days  were  numbered,  and  he  could  not 
hope  for  mercy  here,  in  view  of  the  past ; and  we  closed  by  entreat- 


44-6 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


ing  him  to  turn  to  God  in  penitence,  and  seek  pardon  through  the 
Lord  Jesus,  who  died  for  him  and  for  all  sinners.  This  was  done 
in  a very  kind  manner  by  Brother  Humphrey,  and  I hoped  the  old 
man  would  have  been  impressed  by  it ; but  his  Mohammedan  big- 
otry rose  up  bitterly  against  the  Saviour’s  atonement,  and  he  would 
not  admit  his  necessity  of  any  such  help.  The  Koran  was  enough  ; 
he  wanted  nothing  more,  and  wished  to  hear  nothing  else. 

I saw  him  tried  before  two  judges.  He  was  defended  by  a 
native  lawyer,  who  managed  the  sad  case  as  well  as  he  could.  Mr. 
Moens,  an  English  magistrate,  prosecuted.  The  old  Nawab’s 
policy  was  to  deny  every  charge,  but  any  number  of  native  wit- 
nesses were  ready  to  come  forward  and  prove  them.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  second  or  third  day  the  trial  was  closed  in  con- 
nection with  a singular  forgetfulness  of  his.  A witness  on  the 
stand  was  testifying  to  the  color  of  the  robes  which  Khan  Baha- 
dur wore  on  the  day  when  he  witnessed  the  exposure  of  the  bodies 
of  the  murdered  English  people  at  the  Kotwalie.  The  old  man 
had  denied  that  he  was  there  at  all,  but,  forgetting  himself  in  his 
rage  against  the  witness,  who  swore  it  was  a blue  dress  he  had  on, 
Khan  Bahadur  turned  to  him  and  said,  “You  lie,  you  rascal!  it 
was  not  blue,  it  was  a green  dress  that  I wore.”  The  look  of  blank 
astonishment  that  came  over  the  face  of  the  native  lawyer  at  his 
client’s  acknowledgment  was  a study,  while  Mr.  Moens  turned 
toward  the  judges  and  merely  remarked,  “Your  honors  hear  the 
admission  of  the  prisoner.”  The  trial  closed  that  afternoon.  He 
was  condemned  to  be  hanged  at  the  Kotwalie.  He  passed  me  on 
his  way  to  execution  in  a cart,  sitting  on  his  coffin,  with  a guard  of 
the  42d  Highlanders  around  him,  lest  the  Mohammedans  should 
interpose  any  trouble  ; but  they  attempted  none ; there  seemed  to 
be  among  the  natives  a general  acquiescence  in  his  doom,  as  one 
that  had  been  fully  deserved. 

A medical  friend  went  down  to  see  him  executed.  On  his 
return  he  told  me  what  had  occurred,  remarking,  “ I had  some 
sympathy  for  the  old  man,  but  his  wicked  utterance  at  the  close 
took  it  all  away.”  The  facts  were  these:  when  Khan  Bahadur 


HOW  KHAN  BA  II AD  UR  VIED. 


447 


mounted  the  scaffold  and  stood  on  the  trap,  which  was  about  to  be 
drawn  from  beneath  his  feet,  the  rope  resting  loosely  on  his  shoul- 
ders, and  the  cap  ready  to  be  drawn  down,  Mr.  Moens,  who  had 
acted  as  council  against  him  on  his  trial,  and  'was  now  acting  as 
sheriff,  stepped  forward  and  said,  “ Khan  Bahadur,  have  you  any 
thing  to  say  before  you  die  ?”  “ Yes,”  was  the  prompt  reply,  “ I 

have  two  things  to  say  : first,  I hate  you  and  then  added,  speak- 
ing as  an  Oriental,  and  using  the  certain  for  the  uncertain  number, 
while  his  face  lit  up  with  a glow  of  awful  gratification,  “ but, 
Moens,  I have  had  the  satisfaction  of  killing  a thousand  Christian 
doers,  and  I would  kill  a-  thousand  more  now,  if  I had  the  power.” 

Ten  minutes  after,  that  man  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  Judge 
of  all,  and  he  went  into  eternity  with  the  Mohammedan  conviction 
that,  in  killing  Christians,  he  had  been  doing  God  service,  and 
consequently  his  crown  of  martyrdom  would  be  all  the  brighter  for 
every  life  which  he  had  sacrificed  ; hence  his  confidence  and  exul- 
tation in  that  fearful  moment. 

We  left  Bareilly  for  Lucknow,  attended  to  Futtyghur  (seventy- 
four  miles)  by  relays  of  sowars,  (native  cavalry,)  the  General  con- 
sidering the  precaution  still  necessary.  On  reaching  Futtyghur 
we  went  to  the  mission  premises.  But  what  a ruin ! When  I was 
last  there,  the  beloved  brethren  and  sisters  of  the  Presbyterian  mis- 
sion were  surrounded  by  a happy,  native  Christian  community, 
engaged  in  supporting  themselves  by  tent-making  and  other 
employment,  and  in  the  center  of  the  village  stood  their  nice 
church  ; but  all  was  destroyed  and  desecrated  now,  and  these  dear 
Missionaries  and  their  wives  were  numbered  among  “ the  noble 
army  of  martyrs.” 

We  pushed  on  for  Lucknow.  It  was  the  month  of  September. 
How  well  we  could  understand  now,  what  Havelock  and  his  men 
must  have  gone  through  during  that  month  last  year  ! My  entry, 
made  at  the  time,  tells  of  the  torrents  of  rain,  of  the  flooded 
country,  and  of  having  to  cross  unbridged  rivers  twenty  times  in 
that  seventy  miles.  We  were  twenty-six  hours  going  about  twenty- 
five  of  these  miles.  The  rain,  the  mud,  and  the  slippery  way 


448 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


were  very  trying  ; yet  Havelock  had  to  take  an  army  over  this  very 
ground,  and  at  the  same  season.  Here  he  had  to  fight  battles, 
carry  his  wounded,  and  sustain  his  men.  The  Ganges  had  so 
overflowed  its  bants  that  it  was  nearly  five  miles  wide  where  we 
crossed  it. 

At  Cawnpore  we  visited  “ the  Well  ” of  sad  memories,  and  the 
Shrine,  (then  being  built)and  the  Intrenchments,  and  Ghat,  and  con- 
versed with  Private  Murphy,  the  only  survivor  in  India  of  the  ter- 
rible massacre. 

On  reaching  Lucknow  we  were  most  kindly  received  at  Govern- 
ment House,  no  longer  the  Residency,  but  a building  in  another 
part  of  the  city.  Mr.  (now  Sir  Robert)  Montgomery  welcomed  us 
with  the  cordiality  of  a Christian,  requesting  us  to  consider  his 
house  our  home  till  we  could  obtain  a mission  residence,  and  offer- 
ing to  aid  us  in  every  way  within  his  power.  He  believed  in  Mis- 
sions, and  in  the  ability  of  God’s  truth  to  reach  the  hearts  even  of 
the  turbulent  race  whom  he  ruled. 

After  breakfast  next  morning  I started  off  to  explore  Lucknow. 
Going  out  of  the  door,  how  well  I remembered  the  last  time  I went 
through  it,  starting  from  the  Residency  on  the  back  of  an  elephant, 
guarded  by  a Sepoy  all  day.  But  Mr.  Montgomery  did  not  offer 
me  an  elephant  on  this  occasion,  and  there  were  no  Sepoys  to  at- 
tend me.  So  I walked  off,  quite  content  to  have  it  so,  and  was  not 
ten  minutes  in  the  Bazaar  till  it  was  all  explained.  The  change 
was  amazing,  even  already.  Instead  of  every  man  being  armed 
with  tulwar  and  shield,  nobody  bore  a weapon,  save  the  native 
police.  Every  person  seemed  to  be  minding  his  own  business. 
The  shop-keeper’s  sword  was  no  longer  on  his  counter,  yet  his 
goods  seemed  safe  enough.  Mr.  Montgomery  had  disarmed  the  en- 
tire population,  and  taught  them  that  they  must  no  longer  fight 
and  wound  each  other.  If  they  had  a quarrel,  they  must  not  take 
the  law  into  their  own  hands  ; the  courts  were  open  to  them,  and 
they  must  go  there  and  have  the  magistrate  settle  it  for  them. 
They  submitted,  and  seemed  amazed  how  well  the  new  arrange- 
ment worked.  Never  befofe  had  it  been  so  seen  in  Lucknow.  It 


RESULTS  VIEWED  FROM  TIIE  RESIDENCY.  449 

was  the  new  and  wonderful  reign  of  law  and  equal  justice  in  the 
land  of  the  Sepoy. 

The  public,  shameless  vice,  that  so  shocked  me  when  I last 
passed  through  these  streets,  was  no  longer  seen.  It  had  been 
told  it  must  retire,  and  cease  to  shock  virtue  and  decency  by  its 
hateful  presence.  The  order,  the  industry,  and  the  propriety  of 
the  streets,  were  to  me  simply  marvelous  ; and  the  people  were  so 
civil — making  their  salaam  as  I passed  along,  much  gratified  to 
find  that  I returned  their  courtesy.  And  this  was  Luckuoiv,  with 
its  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people,  and  I,  a white  face,  alone  and 
unarmed  among  them  ! I could  hardly  believe  my  own  senses. 
But  it  was  just  so;  and  I felt  that  we  might  almost  conclude  that 
the  city  was  already  about  half  saved. 

Yet  there  was  enough  to  remind  you  of  the  savage  and  cruel 
past.  The  houses  were  all  bullet  marked,  and  some  blown  to 
pieces.  There  still  remained  the  mud  walls  on  the  roofs,  pierced 
for  musketry,  behind  which  knelt  the  fierce  Sepoy  as  he  so  safely 
poured  his  deadly  bullets  on  Havelock’s  men  as  they  fought  their 
way  along  the  streets  on  which  I was  then  so  peacefully  walking! 
I went  straight  to  “The  Residency.”  No  words  could  do  justice  to 
the  change  from  what  it  was  when  I stood  there  eighteen  months 
before ! Battered  out  of  all  recognition,  yet  still  a glorious  monu- 
ment of  what  brave  men  can  do  and  endure  in  a worthy  cause. 

So  here  we  stand,  in  the  capital  of  the  Sepoy,  and  on  the  spot 
where  he  did  his  utmost,  and  found  even  that  no  match  for  Chris- 
tian heroism.  Now  let  us,  in  closing  this  chapter,  take  our  rapid 
review  of  results  achieved  by  the  valor  so  gloriously  illustrated  on 
this  spot.  The  former  and  the  present  are  here,  and  the  future 
opens,  while,  before  our  face,  old  things  are  passing  away,  and  all 
things  are  becoming  new.  We  recognize  the  blessed  changes  ; 
changes  for  which  India  herself  will  yet  adore  the  Providence 
which  refused  her  victory  to  her  own  ruin.  God  has  subjected 
her  “in  hope”  that  she  “shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of 
corruption  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.” 

And,  first,  as  to  the  great  Sepoy  Army.  This  military  monster, 


450 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


recruited  chiefly  from  the  Brahmin  class,  had,  amid  all  their  igno- 
rance and  unreasoning  bigotry,  grown  into  a full  knowledge  of  its 
own  power.  They  well  knew  that  they  were  united  in  a common 
class  interest,  could  dictate  their  own  terms,  and  had  the  Govern- 
ment at  their  mercy.  They  were  pampered  to  the  last  degree  by 
their  timid  and  politic  rulers.  The  stronger  they  grew,  the  more 
dangerous  they  became,  and  sooner  or  later  a fearful  conflict  with 
them  was  inevitable  ; and  the  longer  it  was  deferred,  the  more  de- 
structive it  must  be  to  the  weaker  party.  Even  now  it  makes  one 
shudder  to  remember  how  completely  we  were  in  the  power  of 
these  cruel  and  wicked  men.  All  this  is  now  changed.  That 
vast  combination  of  brute  force,  with  its  ignorance  and  fanaticism, 
has  melted  away.  Only  two  regiments  remain,  who,  I fear,  more 
from  peculiar  combinations  of  circumstances  than  from  any  special 
virtue  of  their  own,  remained  loyal,  and  wear  to-day  the  title  of 
“ Wufadars,”  (faithful;)  all  the  rest  of  the  mighty  host  has  van- 
ished away. 

Nor  did  they  fall  alone — they  dragged  down  into  their  hideous 
ruin  the  whole  class  from  which  they  were  recruited.  A large 
portion  of  the  towns  and  villages  of  Oude  was  a mere  Sepoy  train- 
ing ground  for  the  East  India  Company.  Here,  for  generations, 
the  inhabitants  contemplated  no  other  employment  save  service  in 
the  Company’s  army.  At  twice  the  compensation  of  artisans,  with 
easy  times,  and  decked  out  in  the  pomp  of  military  array,  these 
men  lived  in  comparative  affluence,  and  on  the  expiration  of  their 
term  of  service,  they  were  retired  on  pensions  for  life  equal  to 
about  half  their  pay.  So  that  there  were  three  generations  of 
Sepoys  in  these  villages  in  1857,  namely,  the  serving  Sepoys, 
and  as  pensioners,  their  fathers  and  their  grandfathers ; and  when 
the  active  force  threw  off  their  allegiance  to  the  Government  of 
Great  Britain,  and  lost  their  cause,  the  reaction  against  them 
was  so  great,  that,  at  one  swoop,  the  Government  which  they  had 
outraged  cut  off  them  and  theirs  from  the  rolls  forever.  Pay  an^l 
pensions  ceased,  and  two  hundred  thousand  Sepoys,  invalided  and 
active,  were  thrown  upon  their  own  resources,  and  reduced  to 


EFFECT  ON  THE  MOHAMMEDANS.  45  I 

hopeless  poverty.  The  old  fathers  anil  grandfathers  were  mad- 
dened by  the  result,  and  when  the  defeated  Sepoys,  those  of  them 
who  escaped  death  on  the  field  or  in  the  jungle,  came  slinking,  in 
disgrace  and  fear,  back  to  their  native  villages,  they  soon  realized 
that  their  bitterest  foes  were  “ they  of  their  own  household.”  They 
were  driven  out  with  taunts  and  hatred  by  their  own  fathers,  whom 
their  perfidy  had  reduced  to  ruin.  The  quiet  peasantry  on  whom 
they  had  brought  the  calamities  of  war  had  no  sympathy  to  bestow 
on  them.  Hooted  with  curses  and  contempt  from  their  homes, 
afraid  to  associate  together  save  in  the  jungles,  lest  the  eyes  of  the 
Government  should  see  and  pursue  them,  many  of  these  wretched 
men  became  fugitives  and  vagabonds. 

Driven  to  the  dire  necessity  by  actual  hunger,  some  of  them 
threw  off  their  lordly  Brahminical  assumptions,  and  were  glad  to 
go  between  the  handles  of  a plow,  to  turn  up  the  soil  for  an  honest 
living,  like  common  men — a wonderful  fact,  and  one  that  people 
did  not  dream  of  in  1856.  It  was  one  of  the  most  fearful  blows 
that  Caste  and  Brahminism  ever  received,  and  has  forever  lowered 
the  prestige  of  that  proud  class  in  India.  A mixed  native  army, 
of  more  limited  numbers,  formed  out  of  all  creeds  and  parties,  has 
taken  their  place,  while  the  amount  of  British  soldiers  has  been 
more  than  doubled,  and  the  forts,  arsenals,  and  magazines  of  India 
are  henceforth  in  their  safe  keeping. 

Second.  Equally  marked  have  been  the  results  of  the  great 
Rebellion  upon  the  Mohammedan  portion  of  the  population.  To 
conciliate  these  people  is  impossible.  Nothing  less  than  the  con- 
viction and  grace  that  can  lead  a Romanist  to  esteem  and  love 
evangelical  Christians,  can  ever  induce  a Mohammedan  to  become 
a willing  subject  of  a Christian  power.  Till  then  their  insolence 
has  to  be  borne  with,  and  their  rage  controlled  by  a firm,  but 
humane,  hand.  They  were  in  this  case  the  greatest  sinners,  and 
they  are  the  greatest  sufferers.  Their  imperial  pretensions,  with 
their  dynasty,  have  sunk  into  the  dust  forever.  Their  hopes  of 
supremacy  are  utterly  annihilated  ; their  nobles  fill  the  graves  of 
traitors  and  murderers.  They,  themselves,  are  distrusted  by  all, 


452 


THE  LAND  OF  TUE  7EDA. 


and  hated  with  a double  intensity  by  the  Hindoo  race,  whom  they 
first  misled  and  deceived,  and  then  oppressed,  during  their  brief 
term  of  power.  The  worst  that  they  can  do  is  now  well  known, 
and  they  are  well  aware  that  they  are  no  longer  feared.  An  amaz- 
ing submission  has  been  developed,  showing  how  effectually  the 
proud,  imperious  conceit  has  been  whipped  out  of  them. 

In  illustration  of  this  fact,  I will  ask  the  reader’s  indulgence 
while  relating  an  incident,  rather  “ free  and  easy  ” in  its  character, 
but  one  which  made  a lasting  impression  upon  my  mind.  It  will 
point  its  own  moral  much  better  perhaps  than  a dozen  sober  facts 
could  do. 

Three  weeks  after  my  arrival  in  Lucknow,  as  the  result  of  dili- 
gent search,  we  found  premises  for  sale  in  the  Husseinabad  Bazaar, 
which  seemed  just  what  we  needed  for  our  Mission  establishment. 
They  belonged  to  a relative  of  the  ex-King,  a Nawab,  or  native 
nobleman,  whose  reduced  circumstances  made  him  glad  to  dispose 
of  them.  All  being  ready  for  payment,  I went  with  this  gentleman 
to  the  English  magistrate’s  Court,  to  have  the  deed  recorded  and 
the  cash  paid,  and  have  the  signature  and  seal  of  the  Court  added, 
to  render  all  safe  and  valid.  The  Court,  for  want  of  a more  suit- 
able place,  was  then  held  in  the  splendid  Tomb  of  Asaf-ud-Dou- 
lah,  second  King  of  Oude.  This  was  situated  in  the  west  end  of 
that  great  Bazaar  ; the  Fort,  occupied  by  English  soldiers,  being  at 
the  other  end  ; and  between  these  two  points,  at  any  business  hour 
of  the  day,  you  could  find  eight  or  ten  thousand  men  lounging 
about  or  engaged  in  trade.  Eighteen  months  before,  such  was  the 
turbulence  there,  that  a Mohammedan  yell  of  “ Deen,  deen!” 
would  have  brought  a mob  of  probably  five  thousand  men  around 
you  in  five  minutes,  every  man  armed  and  used  to  weapons,  for 
many  of  them  had  served  as  Sepoys — all  ready  for  any  deed  of 
violence  or  blood,  in  which  they  had  the  example  of  the  vile 
Mohammedan  Court  then  in  Lucknow.  It  may  be  doubted  if 
there  was  then  a more  combustible  and  fanatical  scene  any  where 
on  earth  than  that  Bazaar  held.  Mr.  Mead’s  description  of  it,  on 
page  21 1,  will  be  remembered  by  the  reader. 


THE  IRISHMAN  IN  TUE  LUCKNOW  COURT. 


453 


Passing  through  the  crowds  we  reached  the  Court,  which  was 
filied,  only  the  aisle  in  front  of  the  table,  down  to  the  door,  being 
unoccupied.  Mr.  Wood,  the  magistrate,  was  in  his  place,  and  we 
took  seats  on  either  side  of  him,  and  all  business  was  quietly  pro- 
ceeding, when  a tumult  outside,  in  the  Bazaar,  attracted  our  atten- 
tion, and  in  a few  moments  in  rushed  a Jamadar  (sergeant)  of 
police,  followed  by  six  of  his  men,  all  in  a wonderful  hurry  and 
excitement.  The  Jamadar  was  a large,  heavy  man,  rigged  out  with 
a red  pugree  (turban)  on  his  head,  and  a red  kummer-bund  around 
his  waist,  with  his  tulwar  tucked  under  his  arm,  his  men  being  sim- 
ilarly decorated  and  accoutered.  His  face  was  flushed,  for  he  had  run 
hard  ; and,  having  for  the  moment  lost  his  breath,  when  he  drew  up 
in  front  of  the  magistrate’s  table,  and  joined  his  hands  to  address 
him,  the  man  could  not  say  a word  for  a few  seconds.  At  length 
he  gasped  out,  “ O Sahib,  hurra  tukleef  Bazaar  men  hai  !”  (O,  sir, 
there  is  dreadful  trouble  in  the  Bazaar  !)  When  the  magistrate 
had  succeeded  in  quieting  the  perturbation  of  the  poor  Jamadar,  he 
was  duly  informed  that  “a  gora  log  [a  white  soldier]  had  come  out 
of  the  Fort  into  the  Bazaar,  armed  with  a stout  stick,  and  that  the 
first  man  he  met  he  stretched  him  on  the  ground,  and  the  rest, 
seeing  what  he  had  received,  had  retreated,  jumping  off  their  stalls 
and  leaving  money  and  goods  behind  them  ; and,”  continued  the 
distressed  and  terrified  Jamadar,  “ Sahib,  the  gora  is  cutting  capers 
there  in  the  middle  of  the  Bazaar,  swinging  his  stick,  and  chal- 
lenging them  to  come  on,  and  offering  to  fight  them  all  ; but,  of 
course,  they  wont  go  near  him.  They  are  all  here  in  a heap  at  the 
end  of  the  Bazaar,  and,  Sahib,  what  am  I to  do  ? ” “ What  are 

you  to  do  ! You  gudha,  (donkey,)  why,  go  and  arrest  the  man. 
What  else  would  you  do  ? ” The  astonished  police  officer  looked 
at  his  chief  as  if  he  could  not  believe  his  own  ears,  and  asked, 
“ What  did  you  say,  Sahib  ? ” “ I said,  go  and  arrest  him.”  He 

looked  at  Mr.  Wood,  and  in  deep  distress  at  the  danger  of  his 
disobedience,  exclaimed  with  emphasis,  “ Sahib,  it  cannot  be  done. 
There  is  not  a man  in  the  Bazaar  would  dare  to  look  him  in  the 
face  ! ” Mr.  W.  insisted  that  he  must  “ look  him  in  the  face,”  and 


454 


THE  LAND - OF  THE  VEDA. 


bring  him  up  before  him,  adding,  “If  you  are  afraid,  then  take  your 
six  men,”  (who  all  stood  in  a row  behind  their  gallant  leader,  with 
about  as  much  courage  as  Falstaff’s  squad,  gazing  right  into  the 
face  of  the  magistrate ;)  “ surely  seven  of  you,  armed  with  tul- 
wars, are  enough  to  arrest  one  English  soldier  with  only  a stick  in 
his  hand.” 

It  was  all  of  no  use  ; go  they  would  not,  and  much  as  they  loved 
livery,  and  power,  and  pay,  they  were,  to  a man,  ready  to  resign 
the  service  sooner  than  execute  the  commission  ; so  that  Mr.  W. 
had  no  alternative  but  to  write  a line  to  the  English  sergeant  of 
the  guard  at  the  Fort,  directing  him  to  send  a couple  of  soldiers  to 
arrest  the  man  and  bring  him  up.  A swift  messenger,  by  a back 
road,  soon  delivered  the  chittee,  and  we  sat  still  to  see  the  result. 
In  a short  time  a military  tread  was  heard,  the  road  clearing  as 
they  came,  and  the  disturber  of  the  peace,  with  the  stick  in  his 
hand,  was  walked  in  between  two  of  his  brethren  right  up  to  the 
magistrate’s  table.  He  looked  around  at  the  crowd,  and  at  us,  and 
at  the  magistrate,  in  astonishment,  every  glance  seeming  to  say, 
“ What  in  the  world  have  I been  brought  here  for  ? ” 

Mr.  W.  broke  the  silence  with,  “ Well,  sir,  I am  given  to  under- 
stand that  you  have  been  disturbing  my  people  in  the  Bazaar.’’ 
Steadying  himself  for  a reply,  (the  first  word  he  uttered  showing 
that  he  was  an  Irishman,  and  half  drunk  at  that,)  he  said,  with  a 
significant  twirl  of  the  stick,  “ Yis,  yer  Honor,  I’ve  been  stirring 
them  up  a'  little';”  looking  very  merry  over  it,  as  if  he  had  been 
“ doing  the  State  some  service,”  which  ought  to  be  recognized.  It 
rather  sobered  him  down,  however,  to  hear  the  magistrate’s  prompt 
and  stern  reply,  “ Then,  sir,  I wish  you  to  understand  that  I don’t 
want  them  ‘stirred  up.’”  The  soldier  was  incredulous.  He  evi- 
dently thought  the  magistrate  was  only  joking.  “ Ah  now,  yer 
Honor,  you  don’t  mean  that  at  all,  at  all !”  His  Honor  said  lie  did 
mean  it,  and,  trying  to  look  as  severe  as  he  could,  he  added,  “And 
more  than  that,  I want  to  know  what  brought  you  into  my  Bazaar 
at  all  ?”  This  question,  and  its  manner,  roused  the  soldier,  his  rol- 
licking aspect  became  serious,  as,  bringing  down  the  end  of  his 


THE  IRISHMAN  IN  THE  LUCKNOW  COURT. 


455 


stick  with  a sharp  - ring  on  the  floor  beside  him,  and  the  tears 
springing  to  his  eyes,  he  stretched  out  his  hand,  and  for  a few 
moments  he  seemed  to  me  the  most  eloquent  speaker  I had  ever 
heard  : “ Ah,  yer  Honor,  listen  to  me.  If  yer  Honor  only  knew  the 
races  I have  had  after  these  rascally  Pandies,  in  rain,  and  hunger, 
and  mud,  and  how  many  noble  comrades  have  fallen  by  this  side,” 
(striking  his  thigh,)  “and  on  this!”  (repeating  the  action  there.) 
Here  his  feelings  seemed  to  overcome  him.  He  paused,  and  then 
added,  “Yer  Honor,  the  spirit  was  up  in  me  a little  this  mornin’, 
and  I thought  I’d  just  come  out  and  have  a little  bit  of  a fight  on 
my  own  private  account  ; but,  yer  Honor,  I could  not  get  a sin- 
gle one  of  the  spalpeens  to  face  me,  and  what  was  I to  do,  yer 
Honor  ?”  His  Honor’s  calm  rejoinder  was,  “ You  were  to  let  them 
alone.”  But  the  poor  fellow  could  not  see  it.  A happy  thought 
seemed  then  to  strike  him,  and  the  spirit  of  fun  was  once  more  in 
full  possession  of  him.  Stretching  out  his  stick  toward  Mr. 
Wood,  he  exclaimed,  “ Now,  yer  Honor,  what’s  the  use  of  talkin’  ; 
just  do  you  say  the  word,  and  I’ll  lick  out  every  mother  sowl  of 
them  for  you  in  five  minutes!”  By  this  time  he  was  in  an  attitude, 
and  looked  the  fighting  Irishman  all  over. 

Mr.  Wood,  I suppose,  made  about  the  best  effort  of  his  life  to 
keep  his  countenance  and  seem  serious  ; he  could  not  afford  to 
give  way  before  his  Court.  How  he  ever  did  it  I cannot  imagine. 
Being  under  no  such  restriction,  I shook  with  laughing  till  1 
nearly  fell  off  the  chair,  and  all  the  more,  when  I saw  the  effect  of 
the  attitude  and  the  stick  on  the  great  fat  Nawab  on  the  other  side 
of  the  table.  With  his  hands  on  his  knees,  and  evidently  alarmed, 
he  watched  every  movement  of  the  soldier,  and  not  knowing  a 
word  of  English,  he  seemed  to  realize  the  fellow’s  antics  boded  no 
good  to  him  personally,  and  looked  as  if  he  was  ready  to  bolt.  It  was 
useless  for  Mr.  Wood  to  rejoin,  as  he  did,  that  he  “did  not  want 
them  licked  out,”  for  the  Irishman  proceeded,  quite  in  a confiden- 
tial way,  blandly  to  assure  him,  “Yer  Honor,  you  wont  have  the 
least  trouble ; you  will  only  just  have  to  say  the  word,  and  I’ll  do 
the  business  for  you  ! ” 


456 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Things  were  going  from  bad  to  worse,  and  the  magistrate  saw 
he  must  lose  no  time  in  getting  rid  of  the  fellow  ; so,  with  a threat 
that,  if  ever  he  found  him  in  his  Bazaar  again  he  would  hand  him 
up  for  court  martial,  he  said  to  the  guard,  “ Take  him  away!”  and 
off  he  was  walked,  to  the  great  relief  of  the  Nawab,  and  the  Jama- 
dar,  and  all  the  natives  present,  and  I suppose  to  Mr.  Wood  as 
well.  And  this  was  in  Lucknow,  and  only  ten  months  after  its 
recapture  ! 

Solomon  says,  “ There  is  a time  to  laugh.”  I have  found  in  my 
life  few  occasions  more  appropriate  for  that  exercise  than  the  one 
here  given,  which  I have  faithfully  described  as  it  occurred.  It 
is  allowable  occasionally  to  pass 

“ From  grave  to  gay, 

From  lively  to  severe.” 

My  book  has  more  than  enough  of  the  grave  and  the  sad  ; let  this, 
then,  have  a place  here,  for  here  it  belongs,  and  has  a lesson  far 
beyond  what  appears  on  the  surface  of  this  ludicrous  scene.  I 
have  introduced  it,  not  for  the  sake  of  its  levity,  though  it  was  rich 
and  almost  inimitable,  but  for  the  sake  of  its  lesson.  One  can 
read  that  lesson,  and  even  laugh  over  it,  as  I did,  near  the  graves 
of  Havelock  and  Henry  Lawrence.  Laughter  may  be  religious. 
It  was  so  here.  To  adequately  appreciate  the  enlargement  of 
heart,  or  even  the  hilarity  of  that  occasion,  one  would  need  to  have 
experimentally  known  our  previous  conditions  there — to  have  rid- 
den on  an  elephant’s  back,  with  a Sepoy  guard,  through  those  very 
Bazaars  of  vice  and  danger  — should  have  been,  as  we  were, 
acquainted  with  those  who  endured  there  that  long  agony  of  the 
defense — must  have  stood  with  us  for  seven  months  on  the  summit 
of  Nynee  Tal,  with  the  fear  that  you  were  the  last  of  the  Christian 
life  left  in  India,  and  that  our  fate,  at  the  hands  of  these  bloody 
men,  might  be  but  a question  of  time,  while  our  only  hope,  under 
God,  were  these  very  red-coated  soldiers  whom  we  feared  might  yet 
be  ten  thousand  miles  away  from  us.  A “dying  hope,”  no  relief,  and 
hardly  expecting  deliverance,  and  then  to  drop  right  out  of  those  cir- 
cumstances into  a scene  like  this  ! The  blessed  God  himself  would 


ONE  OF  YOU  SHALL  CHASE  A THOUSAND. 


457 


sanction  laughter  here.  For,  when  He  “ turned  again  the  captivity 
of  Zion,  we  were  like  them  that  dream.  Then  was  our  mouth  filled 
with  laughter,  and  our  tongue  with  singing.”  For,  it  was  literally 
true  in  the  Bazaars  of  Lucknow,  that  “ They  said  among  the 
heathen,  God  has  done  great  things  for  them.”  He  did — here  was 
a striking  evidence  of  it — and  “ we  were  glad  ! ” 

Even  as  I looked  and  laughed  at  this  half-drunken  creature,  how 
vividly  did  God’s  holy  Word  come  to  my  mind,  as  I saw  him  in 
his  whimsical  resolution  and  proposal,  exulting  in  his  ability,  and 
so  eager  for  its  display,  offering  to  fulfill,  to  the  letter,  those  words 
of  Holy  Writ,  so  true  then  to  the  race  whom  he,  even  in  his  un- 
worthiness and  unconsciousness,  there  represented,  that  “ One 
should  chase  a thousand  nay,  even  more  than  that,  for  he  alone 
offered  to  do  the  work  of  the  “ two  ” to  whom  a covenant  God  had 
engaged,  that  they  should  “ put  ten  thousand  to  flight ! ” And 
why?  Because  “their  Rock  had  sold  them, and  the  Lord  had  shut 
them  up  ; ” while  Christendom  was,  at  that  very  time,  mingling  their 
congratulations  with  England  for  this  wondrous  divine  deliverance, 
and  obeying  the  command  of  the  Lord  Jehovah,  “ Rejoice,  O ye 
nations,  with  his  people  ; for  he  will  avenge  the  blood  of  his  serv- 
ants, and  will  render  vengeance  to  his  adversaries,  and  will  be  mer- 
ciful unto  his  land,  and  to  his  people.”  Deut.  xxxii,  43. 

Third.  The  results  upon  the  Hindoo  race  are  equally  marked. 
They,  too,  have  lost  their  Peishwa  and  their  prestige  ; they  have 
become  deeply  convinced  of  the  impotence  of  their  idols  to  aid 
them  in  any  great  emergency  ; they  have  learned  an  additional  les- 
son of  Mohammedan  perfidy  and  bitterness,  which  can  never  be 
forgotten  by  them,  and  which  forbids  the  possibility  of  any  future 
combination  with  their  cruel  antagonists.  Their  most  intelligent 
men  are  fully  satisfied  that,  till  the  time  comes  when  they  shall  be 
fit  for  self-government,  their  best  interests  are  bound  up  with  their 
allegiance  to  the  English  Government.  Under  the  security  and 
peace  which  it  gives  them  they  are  now,  as  never  before,  devoting 
their  energies  to  material  and  educational  improvement. 

Fourth.  The  abolition  of  the  East  India  Company  is  another  of 


458 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


the  merciful  results  of  the  Rebellion.  This  proud  and  powerful 
body  of  commercial  men  rose,  in  two  hundred  years,  from  the 
humble  position  of  a mere  trading  company,  through  a series  of 
events  the  most  wonderful  in  modern  history,  till  they  came  at  last 
to  sway  their  scepter  over  an  empire  six  times  more  populous  than 
that  of  their  own  Queen,  and  twice  as  populous  as  that  of  Augustan 
Rome,  and  separated,  till  recently,  from  them  by  a voyage  of  four 
or  five  months.  But  this  vast  opportunity,  the  greatest  that  Chris- 
tian rulers  ever  possessed,  was  not  improved  to  the  intellectual 
or  moral  good  of  the  vast  multitudes  whom  they  governed.  What 
they  chiefly  considered  was  large  dividends,  and  every  thing  had  to 
bow  to  that.  As  a corporation,  they  had  no  soul  that  would  feel  for 
the  guilt  and  danger  of  perishing  men,  or  make  any  effort  to 
redeem  them,  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  tried  to  discourage  all  such 
efforts.  To  this  unworthy  and  unchristian  policy  they  held  on  to 
the  last,  and  would  have  held  on  probably  for  ages  if  God  and  the 
English  public  had  not  abolished  their  rule  on  the  ist  of  Novem- 
ber, 1858.  Even  in  the  terrible  lessons  of  the  first  outbreak, 
instead  of  relenting  and  turning  from  their  course,  they  clung  all 
the  more  tenaciously  to  it.  In  evidence  of  this,  the  fact  can  be 
referred  to,  that  in  the  first  panic  caused  by  the  news  which  reached 
England  in  July,  1857,  informing  all  classes  of  the  terrible  events 
which  had  taken  place  on  the  31st  of  May,  and  that  British  suprem- 
acy seemed  to  hang  in  the  balance,  one  of  their  kind  in  London, 
well  acquainted  with  the  East,  and  from  whose  military  character, 
if  nothing  more,  utterances  of  another  sort  would  have  been  con- 
sistent— this  man,  the  editor  of  “ The  United  Service  Magazine ,”  in 
his  leading  article  for  his  August  number,  was  so  carried  away  by 
his  fears  and  by  false  and  godless  theories,  that  he  deliberately 
proposed  to  sacrifice  the  claims  of  his  faith,  and  the  moral  hopes  of 
India,  and  surrender  all  to  heathenism  at  the  first  blow,  and  with- 
out a struggle,  in  language  which  his  descendants  can  never  peruse 
without  a blush  for  the  cowardly  “ Christian  ” who  wrote  it.  Speak- 
ing of  the  measures  to  be  henceforth  employed  in  India  for  the 
pacification  of  the  country,  and  the  retention  of  British  supremacy, 


ABOLITION  OF  THE  EAST  INDIA  COMPANY. 


459 


he  says  : “ Missionaries  must  be  sent  away  about  their  business,  and 
the  practice  of  attempting  conversions  be  put  immediate  stop  to.  If 
a black  individual  express  a sincere  desire  to  become  a Christian, 
by  all  means  let  his  wishes  be  instantly  attended  to  by  the  minis- 
ters of  the  Gospel,  [the  Episcopalian  chaplains  of  the  troops  and 
civilians.]  By  the  substitution  of  this  arrangement  we  are  certain 
that  there  would  be  no  material  diminution  of  the  number  of  real 
converts  per  annum,  for  at  present  the  interior  of  a Cremorne 
omnibus  would  afford  them  ample  accommodation.” — United  Serv- 
ice Magazine , 1857,  p.  480. 

In  that  “omnibus”  I would  have  claimed  at  least  three  seats — 
one  each  for  Joel  and  Emma,  and  one  for  Peggy,  Emma’s  mother,, 
and  would  have  felt  satisfied,  as  I handed  them  in,  that  the  young- 
est and  weakest  of  their  number  had  a courage  and  constancy  for 
Jesus  and  his  cause  which  might  well  put  to  shame — as  it  will  yet 
in  the  presence  of  “ the  worthy  Judge  eternal  ” — the  cowardice  and. 
sarcasm  of  this  unworthy  Briton,  who  thus  dared  to  offset  the  pol- 
icy and  claims  of  the  East  India  Company  against  the  present  and 
final  salvation  of  two  hundred  millions  of  benighted  men. 

I am  thankful  that  this  despicable  and  wicked  utterance  expressed, 
the  feelings  of  a very  small  fraction  of  English  society — smaller 
to-day  than  ever,  and  growing  “ beautifully  less  ” — while  the  “ Com- 
pany” whose  policy  and  practices  it  pronounced,  within  twelve 
months  of  the  day  when  these  words  were  printed,  was  forever  extin- 
guished, as  a governing  body,  by  the  Parliament  of  England,  which 
resolved  to  sustain  British  Christianity,  while  they  vindicated  Brit- 
ish supremacy,  in  India.  The  clique  who  could  thus  insult  God 
and  his  ministers,  and  wish  to  hinder  the  conversion  of  India’s 
millions,  were  regarded  as  henceforth  unworthy  to  administer  the 
political  affairs  of  that  great  empire  ; and  this  very  utterance  was 
the  knell  of  their  doom,  as  it  was  also  of  the  Sepoy  power  on  which 
they  so  vainly  and  madly  leaned  for  support.  Natives  and  Chris- 
tians alike  celebrated  with  gladness  the  day  that  saw  the  country 
pass  under  the  control  of  the  Queen  of  England,  to  be  henceforth 
ruled  by  the  Parliamentary  Government  of  Great  Britain. 


460 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Fifth.  The  Government  of  India  to-day,  in  its  freedom  from  the 
policy  and  traditions  of  the  Company,  its  separation  from  idol- 
atrous administrations,  its  strength  and  justice,  its  outspoken  inter- 
est in  the  intellectual  and  moral  well  being  of  the  people,  its 
humane  and  impartial  administration,  is  a wonderful  improvement 
upon  the  former  things  that  have  passed  away.  At  length  the  oft- 
repeated  assertion,  that  “ India  is  the  noblest  trust  ever  committed 
to  a Christian  nation,”  seems  to  have  taken  possession  of  the  minds 
who  guide  her  destiny. 

The  moral  impression  made  by  English  prowess  over  Asiatic 
combination  and  purpose  has  been  immense,  and  has  affected 
other  lands  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  India.  It  has  convinced  the 
Asiatic  nations  of  the  superiority  of  Christian  civilization  beyond  any 
other  event  that  has  transpired  on  that  hemisphere.  The  result  in 
India  itself  is,  that  England  is  considered  to  hold  the  land  by  a 
stronger  right  than  ever ; her  laws  are  more  respected,  her  magis- 
trates more  implicitly  obeyed,  her  roads  are  safer,  her  peace  is 
more  profound.  What  her  Government  know  to  be  right  can  now 
be  attempted  and  carried  out  free  from  the  temporizing  of  the  past, 
so  that  legislation  is  more  decided,  and  radical,  and  beneficent.  A 
magnanimity  that  before  was  not  dreamed  of  guides  British  policy. 
Native  gentlemen  of  education  are  now  invested  with  Commissions 
of  the  Peace.  The  native  element  is  introduced  into  legislative 
Falls,  and  connected  with  the  government  of  their  country.  Al- 
ready they  sit  on  the  bench  of  the  High  Court,  and  hold  honorary 
positions  in  Council,  as  the  colleagues  of  the  Governor  General. 
Public  education  is  encouraged  and  pushed  forward,  the  admission 
of  ladies  into  general  society  commended,  female  education  among 
all  classes  encouraged  to  the  utmost,  and  extravagant  costs  of  wed- 
dings and  funerals  discountenanced.  The  legislation,  the  princi- 
ples, and  the  personal  influence  of  the  Government,  are  all  thus 
bearing  upon  the  repression  of  what  is  wrong  in  Hindoo  society, 
and  the  encouragement  of  all  that  is  right  and  good. 

None  but  those  who  have  lived  in  India  can  adequately  appre- 
ciate the  difficulty  or  the  delicacy  of  the  great  task  which  England 


INDIA'S  FUTURE  FULL  OF  HOPE. 


46 1 


is  trying  to  fulfill  there  to-day.  One  feature  of  the  structure  of 
society  there  will  sufficiently  intimate  this  fact.  There  are  in  all 
one  hundred  and  fifty-three  Hindoo  and  Mussulman  Princes,  gov- 
erning semi-independent  States,  under  the  protection  of  the  para- 
mount power.  These  communities  are  less  affected  by  intelligence, 
and  more  liable  to  caste  notions  and  time-honored  observances, 
than  the  territories  directly  governed  by  the  British,  and  their 
influence  has  to^be  considered;  then  there  are  as  many  more 
Princes,  (retired  from  business,)  some  of  them  still  bearing  royal 
titles,  and  drawing  royal  revenues  from  the  treasury — any  number 
of  Maharajahs,  Nawabs,  and  Kings — within  the  British  territories. 
These  have  courts,  ceremonials,  and  claims,  which  are  all  main- 
tained with  a tenacity  that,  to  us  of  the  West,  seems  simply  ridicu- 
lous, and  which  are,  and  must  be,  to  India’s  rulers,  matters  of  worry 
and  difficulty  ; but  they  have  to  deal  gently  with  them,  and  work 
on  in  Hope  that,  in  the  progress  of  the  country  toward  popular  gov- 
, ernment,  these  “royal”  folk  (including  the  Nawab  Nazim  of  Ben- 
gal, the  King  of  Oude,  and  others)  or  their  descendants  will  become 
content,  in  the  interest  of  the  unity  of  their  magnificent  land,  and 
its  preparation  for  the  popular  native  go\  ernment  which  will  one 
day  direct  its  destinies,  to  sink  title  and  claim,  and  accept  a posi- 
tion in  native  society  analogous  to  that  of  the  Peerage  of  England. 
The  day  is  past  for  the  continued  existence  of  “three  hundred  and 
seventy-four  States”  in  a country  that  can  be  but  one  nation.  As 
Noblemen  around  their  strong  Government,  these  representatives 
of  dead  or  dying  dynasties  might  do  much  for  their  country,  as  well 
as  opening  a way  for  their  own  children  to  be  trained  and  educated 
for  employment  in  positions  of  trust  and  usefulness. 

These  are  but  a mere  intimation  of  the  peculiar  circumstances 
which  English  administrators  in  India  have  to  deal  with  as  they 
try  to  guide  the  interests  of  that  country.  The  rebellion  broke 
down  many  of  these  difficulties,  and  simplified  their  task  to  a great 
extent,  making  them  more  fully  the  masters  of  the  situation  ; time, 
education,  and  Christianity  will  do  the  rest. 

Meanwhile  the  country  is  progressing  rapidly  in  the  right 


462 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA 


direction,  its  own  people  testify  to  their  contentment  and  hopes 
of  its  bright  future,  while  travelers  from  other  lands  add  their  evi- 
dence to  the  peace  and  prosperity  which  have  followed  the  sorrowful 
chapters  which  we  have  traced.  The  appreciatory  words  lately 
uttered  by  the  Hon.  W.  H.  Seward,  after  having  traveled  through 
India,  will  be  in  the  remembrance  of  the  reader.  Mr.  Seward’s 
opinion  is  well  sustained  by  another  American  gentleman,  Dr. 
Prime,  of  the  Observer,  just  returned  from  a visjt  to  India.  With 
a candid  appreciation  of  the  present,  as  compared  with  the  past,  he 
uses  the  following  language  : 

“ I have  spoken  of  the  complete  change  which  has  come  over 
the  government  of  India  in  its  being  made  directly  responsible  to, 
and  dependent  on,  the  British  Crown.  A still  greater  change  has 
taken  place  in  the  objects  for  which  the  government  is  adminis- 
tered. For  two  centuries  and  a half  India  was  ruled  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  East  India  Company.  . . . 

“ But  that  is  all  changed,  or,  if  not  all,  the  purpose  of  the  Gov-  . 
ernment  is  changed.  It  is  ruled  now  for  the  good  of  India,  for  the 
sake  of  the  people  of’  India.  I take  the  greatest  pleasure  in  bear- 
ing testimony  to  the  high  character  of  those  who  have  the  admin- 
istration of  affairs  in  that  empire,  and  to  the  aspect  of  the  country 
in  its  material,  educational,  social,  and  religious  interests,  as  being 
full  of  promise.  I doubt  if  any  country  has  more  conscientious 
and  intelligent  public  officers  controlling  its  destinies  than  has 
India.  There  are  reforms  yet  to  be  consummated.  The  extreme 
caution  of  rulers  prevents  them  from  entirely  giving  up  a sort  of 
complicity  with  idolatry  ; the  great  work  of  education  which  the 
Government  is  carrying  on,  to  which  I shall  again  allude,  is  con- 
fined too  much  to  a privileged  class  ; but  it  has  been  a great  pleas- 
ure to  me  to  find  this  land  making  such  rapid  progress  in  all  that 
is  calculated  to  promote  the  highest  good  of  the  people  who  dwell 
in  it,  to  whatever  race  they  belong.  Overlooking  all  the  past,  I 
heartily  rejoice  that  India  is  to-day  under  British  rule.  Long  may 
that  rule  be  undisturbed ! May  it  not  be  broken  until  the  tribes 
of  the  land  shall  be  able,  intelligently  and  wisely,  to  govcYn  them- 


CONDITION  AND  PROSPECTS  OF  CHRISTIANITY.  463 

selves.  The  effect  of  the  present  system  will  be  to  develop  their 
powers  of  self-government.  In  addition  to  the  native  princes,  who 
are  still  recognized  as  the  heads  of  their  limited  territories,  natives 
are  admitted  as  members  to  the  Supreme  and  Provincial  Councils. 
The  Government  is  doing  nothing  directly  to  advance  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  (though  as  much  as  our  own  Government  is  doing,) 
and  many  evils  growing  out  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  people,  the 
varieties  of  races,  the  inveterate  nature  of  hoary  prejudices,  yet  re- 
main to  be  removed  or  remedied  ; but,  judging  from  the  promise  of 
the  present,  India  bids  fair  to  become  again  a mighty  empire  in  the 
East,  and  to  outshine  in  its  glory  the  splendor  of  the  old  Moguls.” 

Sixth.  The  improved  condition  and  prospects  of  Christianity  and 
of  native  Christians,  as  the  result  of  the  rebellion,  is  most  marked 
and  important. 

The  position  of  Christianity  in  India,  and  its  disabilities,  will  be 
well  understood  from  what  has  been  already  advanced.  The  condi- 
tion of  the  native  Christian  before  the  Rebellion  was  a most  trying 
one.  He  was  cut  off  and  proscribed  by  his  heathen  friends,  looked 
down  upon  too  often  by  European  officials,  refused  all  employment 
under  Government,  with  no  one  to  sympathize  with  him  except  a 
few  pious  persons  and  the  missionary,  the  latter  very  often  unable 
to  help  him,  though  his  heart  was  distressed  for  him.  Short  as 
the  time  was  that  I had  then  been  in  India,  I learned  some  most 
distressing  cases  of  this  kind. 

The  very  last  letter  that  I had  from  the  martyred  Missionary, 
Brother  Campbell,  of  Futtyghur,  was  on  this  subject.  He  writes, 
“ Poor  Saul,  whom  you  saw  when  at  my  house,  is  still  without 
employment.  I sent  him  to  Cawnpore  and  Futtypore,  but  those 
places  were  full ; had  more  help  and  native  Christians  than  could 
be  well  provided  for.  He  is  now  at  home  near  Agra,  and  writes 
to  me  that  he  is  in  a sad  condition.  Christians  will  not  receive 
him,  though  he  is  willing  to  do  any  kind  of  work  ; and  his  relations 
say,  that  if  he  remains  with  them  in  his  native  village  he  must 
become  one  of  them,  that  is,  a heathen.  Poor  fellow,  I pity  him, 
for  I think  him  a good  man ; weak,  perhaps,  but  still,  I trust,  a 


464 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


* chosen  vessel.’  O that  God  in  his  good  providence  would  open 
up  some  way  for  these  poor  fettered  souls  (not  a few)  who  wish  to 
renounce  heathenism  and  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  people  of  God, 
and  cannot!  For  want  of  employment,  we  are  obliged  to  turn  off 
numbers  who  would  gladly  come,  bringing  their  families  with  them, 
even  very  hopeful  cases.  O that  the  day  may  soon  come  when 
caste  will  be  broken  up ! Then  our  converts  will  stand  some 
chance.” 

That  letter  was  written  on  the  15  th  of  April.  Eight  weeks 
after  the  writer  was  “ before  the  throne,”  and  God  in  his  mysterious 
ways  was  beginning  to  answer  the  martyr’s  prayer  for  the  native 
Christians.  Little  did  he  imagine,  when  writing  that  letter,  how 
soon  and  how  fully  Providence  would  “ open  up  a way  for  those 
fettered  souls  !”  The  Christian  public  and  the  Government,  imme- 
diately after  the  Rebellion,  wanted  them  for  situations  of  trust  in 
far  greater  numbers  than  could  be  supplied.  The  Rebellion  had 
tested  and  brought  out  the  value  of  native  Christians  in  a manner 
that  admitted  of  no  cavil  or  mistake. 

Not  one  native  Christian  in  India  joined  the  mutineers,  though 
their  education  would  have  made  them  valuable  to  them.  It  was 
also  known  that  some  conspiracies  had  been  discovered  and  pre- 
vented by  timely  information  furnished  by  native  Christians.  Not- 
withstanding the  sufferings  to  which  they  were  reduced  during  the 
Rebellion,  as  a body  they  stood  nobly  for  Christianity  and  the 
British  Government,  though  that  Government  had  neglected  and 
despised  them.  Many  of  them  laid  down  their  lives  for  their 
religion.  Even  under  that  fiery  trial,  it  is  asserted  (see  “ Liverpool 
Missionary  Conference,”  page  249)  that  only  two  of  their  number 
are  known  to  have  apostatized.  At  length  the  Government  itself 
began-  to  appreciate  them,  so  that  the  Rebellion  had  hardly  closed 
ere  Sir  John  Lawrence,  as  Governor  of  the  Punjab,  and  who  soon 
after  became  Viceroy  of  all  India,  used  the  following  language  in 
one  of  his  government  orders : “ The  sufferings  and  trials  which 
the  Almighty  has  permitted  to  come  upon  his  people  in  this  land 
during  the  past  few  months,  though  dark  and  mysterious  to  us, 


MARTYR  CAMPBELL'S  PRAYER  ANSWERED.  465 

will  assuredly  end  in  his  glory.  The  followers  of  Christ  will  now, 
I believe,  be  induced  to  come  forward  and  advance  the  interests  of 
his  kingdom.  The  system  of  caste  can  no  longer  be  permitted  to 
rule  in  our  service.  Soldiers,  and  government  servants  of  every 
class,  must  be  entertained  for  their  merits,  irrespective  of  creeds, 
class,  or  caste.  * 

“The  native  Christians,  as  a body,  have,  with  rare  exceptions, 
been  set  aside.  I know  not  one  in  the  Punjab,  to  our  disgrace  be 
it  said,  in  any  employment  under  Government.  A proposition  to 
employ  them  in  the  public  service  six  months  ago  assuredly  would 
not  have  been  complied  with  ; but  a change  has  come,  and  I be- 
lieve there  are  few  who  will  not  eagerly  employ  those  native  Chris- 
tians competent  to  fill  appointments. 

“ I consider  I should  be  wanting  in  my  duty,  in  this  crisis,  if  I 
did  not  endeavor  to  secure  a portion  of  the  numerous  appointments 
in  the  judicial  departments  fur  native  Christians  ; and  I shall  be 
happy,  as  far  as  I can,  to  advance  their  interests  equally  with  those 
of  the  Mohammedan  and  Hindoo  candidates.  Their  future  promo- 
tion must  depend  upon  their  own  merits.” 

His  Excellency  then  added  suggestions  to  guide  the  Missionaries 
in  selecting  suitable  persons  to  be  presented  for  the  purpose. 
Shortly  after  this  Sir  Robert  Montgomery,  the  ruler  of  Oude, 
issued  a similar  paper.  Other  officials  did  the  same.  Merchants 
and  traders  also  sought  them,  for  they  saw  they  could  be  trusted. 
Their  value  rose  at  once.  Employment  was  thrown  open  to  them, 
giving  them  a fair  chance  with  other  men,  which  was  all  we  desired 
for  them.  The  native  Christian,  who  before  the  Rebellion  could 
not  obtain  five  dollars  per  month  for  his  services,  though  an  edu- 
cated man  and  a faithful  member  of  Christ’s  Church,  within  little 
more  than  a year  from  the  date  of  martyr  Campbell’s  letter,  could 
command  five  or  ten  times  that  amount  of  salary.  Missionary 
societies  had,  consequently,  twice  within  five  years,  to  raise  the 
wages  of  their  teachers  and  helpers  in  order  to  retain  them,  so 
great  was  the  competition  by  other  parties  to  engage  them.  The 
effect  of  this  change  upon  their  standing  in  society,  the  comfort  of 


466 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


their  families,  and  their  own  self-respect,  as  well  as  Christian  use- 
fulness, will  be  apparent.  It  was  for  them  a great  salvation,  and 
most  wonderfully  wrought  out. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  Christian  Church  in  India  since  that 
time,  and  especially  of  the  native  ministry,  will  be  fully  exhibited  in 
the  Statistical  Tables  which  will  follow  the  next  chapter.  To  them 
the  reader’s  attention  is  earnestly  requested,  that  he  may  gratefully 
contemplate 

“The  silver  lining  to  this  cloud  of  grief” 

with  which  a merciful  God  compensated  the  sufferings  of  his  serv- 
ants. What  a change  for  the  better,  in  the  very  respect  which  they 
so  much  desired,  would  Brothers  Freeman  and  Campbell  witness, 
could  they  rise  from  the  dead  and  revisit  the  scenes  where  they  suf- 
fered and  died  to  bring  about  this  result ! What  a justification,  too, 
of  dear  Mrs.  Freeman’s  words,  in  her  last  letter  to  her  sister,  when 
she  said  : “ I sometimes  think  our  deaths  would  do  more  good  than 
we  would  do  in  all  our  lives  ; if  so,  His  will  be  done!” 

How  intense  the  interest  which  that  Rebellion  awoke  all  through 
Christendom ! how  earnest  the  prayers  which  then  went  up  to  God 
for  India!  and  how  liberal  the  efforts  since  made  to  claim  the  land 
for  Christ ! All  has  been  overruled  for  good.  The  vastness  of 
India,  the  value  of  her  evangelization  as  the  heart  of  Asia,  and  the 
influence  of  her  position,  as  the  key  to  the  salvation  of  the  nations 
with  which  she  has  commercial  relations — Affghanistan,  Beloochis- 
tan,  Eastern  Persia,  Bokhara,  Herat,  Thibet,  Ladak,  Nepaul,  West- 
ern China,  and  others — all  these  must  feel  the  effects  of  the  mighty 
change  which  India  is  yet  to  undergo,  and  for  which  this  Rebellion 
did  so  much  to  prepare  her. 

The  hour  had  come  when  the  inevitable  conflict  between  human 
barbarism  and  divine  civilization  was  to  take  place,  and  the  words  of 
■Christ  were  to  be  realized  in  India — “ I am  not  come  to  send  peace, 
but  a sword!'  Ere  that  sword  could  conquer  the  peace  of  right- 
eous law  and  order,  and  place  that  great  land  in  subjection  to  the 
influences  which  are  all  the  more  certainly  and  speedily  to  work  out 
iher  redemption — as  they  are  doing  at  this  hour — the  words  of  Sim- 


CHRISTIANITY  INVINCIBLE  AND  INEVITABLE.  4 67 

eon  to  the  Virgin  Mother  of  the  great  Peace-maker  might  have 
been  addressed  to  the  Futtyghur  martyrs,  and  the  victims  of  Cavvn- 
pore  and  Bareilly,  as  well  as  to  those  who  lived  to  see  the  great 
victory  of  deliverance,  “ Yea,  a sword  shall  pierce  through  thy 
own  soul  also,  that  the  thoughts  of  many  hearts  may  be  revealed.” 
They  did  not  suffer  nor  die  in  vain.  Their  endurance  unto  blood, 
and  the  valor  of  those  who,  against  such  odds,  fought  their  way  to 
their  rescue,  have  taught  the  men  of  Hindustan  a lesson  that  can 
never  be  forgotten.  They  have  been  whipped  into  the  alarming 
consciousness  that  their  colossal  and  venerable  systems  of  religion, 
in  which  they  trusted,  are  utterly  powerless  ; that  with  civilization 
is  strength  ; and  that  Christianity  is  both  invincible  and  inevitable. 
They  have  lost  confidence  and  hope  in  their  own  systems,  and  the 
“ thoughts  of  their  hearts  ” are  “ revealed  ” in  the  candid  and  singu- 
lar remark  made  to  us  one  day  by  an  aged  native,  when  we  pressed 
him  upon  this  subject,  as  with  a sigh  he  exclaimed,  “ It  is  so,  Sahib  ; 
for  some  reason  that  we  don’t  understand  God  has  left  us  and  gone 
over  to  the  Christian  side ! I suppose  what  you  say  is  true.  My 
children,  or  grandchildren,  will  probably  be  of  your  way  of  think- 
ing. But  I'm  too  old  to  change  ; I want  to  die  in  the  faith  of  my 
fathers  ! ” The  tears  flowed  as  he  closed  his  remarks.  They  were 
shed  because  he  felt  that  Hindooism  is  dying!  And  so  it  is  ; for 
already,  thank  God  ! the  blood  even  of  the  Sepoy  race  flows  in  the 
veins  of  the  Methodist  ministry  in  Oude  and  Rohilcund,  while 
their  children  are  singing  in  our  Christian  schools  and  churches, 
“ Hosannah  to  the  Son  of  David ! ” 


468 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  CONDITION  OF  WOMAN  UNDER  HINDOO  LAW. 

MONG  the  mercies  resultant  from  recent  events  in  India 


may  be  reckoned  “ the  door  of  hope  ” which  God  has  thus 
opened  for  the  women  of  that  land  ; but  to  appreciate  the  hopeful 
possibilities  of  the  present  it  is  needful  that  we  consider  the  past, 
and  what,  up  to  this  hour,  has  been  the  condition  of  women  there, 
under  the  law  of  her  religion  and  the  customs  of  her  country.  If 
she  is  rising  at  last  in  any  respect,  it  is  in  decided  defiance  of  the 
system  that  has  so  long  repressed  and  wronged  her,  and  her 
elevation  therefore  involves  its  overthrow. 

On  page  forty-two  we  have  presented  a picture  of  the  class 
whose  legal  relations  we  now  more  fully  represent. 

What  is  this  woman,  thus  “ gorgeously  appareled,”  in  her  condi- 
tion, character,  and  prospects  ? Even  the  Zenana  has  had  to  give 
up  its  secrets,  and  the  rest  of  the  world  may  now  know  how  the 
women  of  India  live  and  die. 

Of  course  every  lady  of  intelligence  has  heard  more  or  less  of 
the  condition  of  her  sex  in  India,  and  has  had  her  sympathy  called 
forth  by  the  wrongs  which  they  have  so  long  suffered  ; yet  few 
understand  why  these  things  are  so,  much  less,  what  is  the  full 
measure  of  the  disabilities  to  which  this  lady,  or  any  of  her  sisters 
in  India,  is  always  exposed,  without  that  appeal  which  other  women 
possess  to  the  divine  rule  of  their  religion,  which  forbids  such 
treatment. 

In  other  lands,  and  under  the  teachings  and  forms  of  a different 
civilization,  the  wrongs  which  women  suffer  at  the  hands  of  lordly 
and  vicious  men  are  the  result  of  the  current  wickedness  of  those 
who  oppress  them  ; but  in  India  the  abject  humility,  subordination, 


WOMAN'S  LEGAL  WE 0X0 S IN  INDIA. 


469 


and  implicit  obedience  of  woman  to  every  whim  and  wish  which 
her  husband  exacts  from  her,  is  extorted  under  the  express  teach- 
ings of  her  cruel  faith,  and  she  is  well  aware  that  he  can  quote  the 
only  “scriptures”  she  knows  to  justify  every  demand  and  wrong  to 
which  she  tamely  submits.  Her  poor  judgment  and  conscience 
are  held  fast  in  the  terrors  of  a system  that  contains  not  one  ray 
of  hope  of  any  change  for  the  better  for  her  ; while  this  has  been 
the  condition  of  the  hundreds  of  millions  of  women  in  India  since 
long  before  the  incarnation  of  Christ.  All  that  period  of  time  she 
has  been  sunk  and  suffering  in  this  manner. 

If  ever  woman  had  an  opportunity  of  showing  what  she  might 
become  under  the  teaching  and  influence  of  a civilization  where 
Christianity  or  the  Bible  did  not  interfere  with  her  state,  the 
women  of  India  have  had  that  opportunity  ; and  now,  after  forty 
centuries  of  such  experiment,  what  is  woman  there  to-day  ? These 
pages  shall  faithfully  declare  it  to  the  women  whom  Christianity 
has  redeemed,  and  then  let  them  judge  for  themselves  the  differ- 
ence and  its  cause. 

In  rendering  this  service  to  the  truth  I shall  be  under  no  liabil- 
ity to  exaggerate,  nor  shall  I make  a single  unsupported  statement 
as  to  her  condition.  The  evidence  shall  be  all  her  own,  and  chap- 
ter and  verse — Code,  Purana,  and  Shaster — shall  give  their  testi- 
mony to  the  exact  truthfulness  of  my  descriptions.  I feel  assured 
that  those  who  read  these  pages  will  lay  them  down  with  the 
conviction  that  a more  atrocious  system  for  the  extinction  of  the 
happiness  and  hopes  of  woman  than  that  which  is  contained  in  the 
legislation  of  the  Hindoos  never  was  devised  by  priest  or  lawgiver 
since  the  hour  when  guilty  man  first  began  to  throw  the  blame, 
the  burden,  and  the  wrongs  of  life,  upon  the  weaker  sex. 

The  most  ancient  body  of  human  law  now  extant  is  the  Insti- 
tutes of  Menu.  This  unique  and  whimsical  system  of  legislation 
— the  offspring  of  despotism  and  priestcraft — fixed  the  social  and 
religious  position  of  woman  in  India  nearly  a thousand  years  before 
Christ.  The  full  title  of  the  Code — which  has  been  translated  from 
the  ancient  Sanscrit  by  Sir-W.  Jones — is,  “Institutes  of  Hindoo 


470 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Law,  or  the  Ordinances  of  Menu — Comprising  the  Indian  System 
of  Duties,  Religious  and  Civil.” 

This  is  the  fountain-head  of  those  rules  which  constitute  the 
laws  of  life  for  the  women  of  India,  and,  terrible  as  many  of  them 
are  in  their  undisguised  deformity  here,  they  have  been  made  even 
more  hideous  and  horrible  by  the  added  ingredients  of  bitterness 
which  they  received  as  they  flowed  down  through  the  ages,  and 
were  expressed  in  Puranas  and  Shasters,  in  traditional  teachings, 
popular  dialogues,  in  the  Hindoo  drama,  and  in  their  literature 
generally.  We  shall  quote  from  these  to  illustrate  and  justify  the 
representations  given  of  woman’s  lot  in  that  land 

“ Where  the  skies  forever  smile, 

And  the  oppressed  forever  weep.” 

In  drawing  a picture  of  woman  in  India,  we  first  speak  of  her 
birth  ; and  here  we  are  met  with  the  terrible  fact  of  female  infanti- 
cide, so  common  in  that  land.  This  is  an  ancient,  systematic,  and 
prevalent  crime  among  the  Hindoos.  Not  especially  among  the 
poor  or  the  debased,  but  prevailing  chiefly  among  the  Rajpoot 
families,  some  of  the  proudest  and  wealthiest  of  the  tribes  of  India. 
The  doctrine  and  practice,  and  the  unblushing  avowal  of  this  un- 
natural crime,  on  the  part  of  its  perpetrators,  are  such  as  cannot  be 
found  anywhere  else  on  earth.  And  the  infernal  custom  has  so 
drugged  their  consciences,  that  even  the  mothers  themselves  of 
these  destroyed  little  ones  have  declared  their  insensibility  of  any 
feeling  of  guilt,  even  where  the  deed  has  been  done  by  their  own 
hands. 

Girls  are  not  desired,  not  welcome ; and  when  they  come,  and 
must  live — as  British  law  now  demands,  where  its  power  can  reach 
them,  that  life  must  be  held  sacred  — still  they  can  be  at  least 
ignored,  if  not  despised.  Why,  if  my  native  friend  had  six  chil- 
dren, three  boys  and  as  many  girls,  and  I happened  to  inquire, 
“ Lalla,  how  many  children  have  you?”  the  probability  is  he 
would  reply,  “ Sir,  I have  three  children  for  he  would  not  think 
it  worth  while  to  count  in  the  daughters. 

They  cannot  understand  our  Christian  feelings  in  rejoicing  over 


FEMALE  INFANTICIDE. 


471 


the  birth  of  a girl  with  as  sincere  happiness  as  we  would  lavish 
upon  our  male  children  ; and  a case  is  actually  on  record,  which 
shows  how  generally  accepted  is  this  idea  in  the  native  mind, 
where  an  English  gentleman  at  Bombay  actually  received  a visit 
of  condolence  from  an  intelligent  native  friend.  A little  girl  had 
been  born  to  him  ; and  the  polite  Hindoo,  having  heard  of  it,  had 
called  to  express  his  sympathy  with  the  unfortunate  parent ! 

The  prevalence  and  extent  of  the  horrid  crime  of  female  infanti- 
cide attracted,  many  years  ago,  the  attention  of  the  humane  men 
whom  England  sent  to  rule  her  India  possessions,  and  from  the 
official  statistics  collected,  which  are  now  before  us,  we  are  able  to 
give  some  accurate  idea  of  the  fatal  devastation  which,  for  ages 
past,  this  hellish  cruelty  has  wrought  upon  the  female  life  of  India. 

Mr.  Wilkinson’s  reports  were  based  upon  a census  taken  in  one 
locality  where  this  custom  was  known  to  exist.  By  the  simple, 
spontaneous  admission  of  the  guilty  parties  themselves,  it  turned 
out  that  in  one  tribe  the  portion  of  sons  to  daughters  was  one  hun- 
dred and  eighteen  to  sixteen  ; in  a second,  two  hundred  and  forty 
to  ninety-eight  ; in  a third,  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  to  sixty- 
one  ; in  a fourth,  fourteen  to  four  ; and  in  a fifth,  thirty-nine  to 
seven.  Now,  as  statistics  in  Europe  and  America  have  all  shown 
but  one  result,  namely,  that  the  births  of  males  and  females  are  of 
nearly  equal  amount,  the  only  inference  to  be  drawn  from  this  dis- 
parity is,  that  females  equal,  or  nearly  equal,  in  number  to  the  dif- 
ference here  exhibited  had  been  destroyed. 

The  murders,  therefore,  perpetrated  in  the  first  of  the  above 
tribes  were  seventy-seven  per  cent,  of  the  females  born.  The 
aggregate  result  given  by  the  census  taken  in  this  locality  was  six 
hundred  .and  thirty-two  sons  to  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
daughters.  This  is  an  average  of  thirty-six  daughters  to  one  hun- 
dred boys  ; or,  in  other  words,  of  every  one  hundred  females  born 
sixty-four  must  have  been  cruelly  immolated  by  their  parents  ; or, 
in  round  numbers,  about  two  thirds  were  destroyed,  and  but  one 
third  saved  alive. 

Some  of  the  villages  examined  presented  a more  terrible  exhibit 


472 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


than  even  this — as  where  he  found  only  three  per  cent,  of  girls, 
and  in  one  no  girls  at  all , the  inhabitants  freely  “ confessing  that 
they  had  destroyed  every  girl  born  in  their  village.” 

The  guilty  agents  were  generally  the  parents  themselves,  ofttimes 
the  mothers,  with  their  own  hands.  Sir  John  Malcolm  positively 
states,  in  his  Report  on  Central  India,  that  “ the  mother  is  com- 
monly the  executioner  of  her  own  offspring.”  Professing  to  open 
the  fount  of  life  to  her  babe,  she  coolly  and  deliberately  impreg- 
nates it  with  the  elements  of  death,  by  putting  opium  on  the  nip- 
ple of  her  breast,  which  the  child  inhaling  with  its  milk,  dies.  But 
the  juice  of  the  poppy  is  not  the  only  ingredient  by  whose  “mortal 
taste”  so  many  unoffending  victims  fill  the  unmarked  graves  of 
India.  The  madar,  or  the  dutterrea  plant,  the  tobacco  leaf,  starva- 
tion, drowning,  exposure  in  the  jungle,  and  even  strangulation,  are 
the  modes  employed  by  these  wretches  for  their  fell  purposes. 
“ Without  natural  affection,”  truly ! 

Human  language,  with  all  its  resources,  furnishes  a feeble  and 
inadequate  medium  of  expression  for  the  horror  which  such  deeds 
of  hell  awaken  in  the  heart.  Probably  the  celebrated  Encyclope- 
dist has  as  nearly  expressed  it  as  is  possible  when  he  says,  “ In- 
fanticide, or  child  murder,  is  an  enormity  that  our  reason  and  feel- 
ings would  lead  us  to  reckon  a crime  of  very  rare  occurrence. 
That  it  should  exist  at  all  is,  at  first  view,  surprising  ; that  it 
should  prevail  to  any  extent  is  difficult  of  belief ; that  parents 
shouM  be  its  perpetrators  is  in  a high  degree  painful  to  imagine  ; 
but  that  mothers  should  be  the  executioners  of  their  own  offspring — 
nay,  their  habitual  and  systematic  executioners — is  such  an  agoniz- 
ing contemplation,  such  an  outrage  on  humanity,  as  every  amiable 
feeling  of  our  nature  sickens  and  revolts  at.” 

The  most  awful  feature  of  the  matchless  enormity  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  Hindooism  has  dared  to  cover  the  deed  with  a professed 
divine  sanction.  On  page  399  we  have  described  the  bloody  deity, 
herself  a female,  under  whose  sanction  these  deeds,  so  inhuman, 
have  been  consummated.  A fitting  locality,  as  a general  center 
for  the  hellish  enormity,  was  long  since  found  in  that  dreary  island 


DARK  SAUGOR'S  IMPIOUS  STAIN. 


473 


of  Saugor,  lying  below  Calcutta,  and  which  few  Christians  have 
ever  passed  without  feeling  inclined  to  invoke  upon  the  island  and 
its  shrine  of  blood  the  unmitigated  curse  of  God  and  man.  The 
sight  of  it  fired  the  indignation  of  that  great  linguist,  Dr.  John 
Leyden,  and  led  to  the  composition  of  those  rugged,  but  honest 
lines  of  his,  which  describe  the  place  and  those  deeds  for  which  it 
was  regularly  visited,  and  which  made  it  so  infamous  throughout 
the  civilized  world  : 

“On  sea-girt  Saugor’s  desert  isle, 

Mantled  with  thickets  dark  and  dun, 

May  never  moon  or  starlight  smile, 

Nor  ever  beam  the  summer  sun! 

Strange  deeds  of  blood  have  there  been  done. 

In  mercy  ne’er  to  be  forgiven  ; 

Deeds  the  far-seeing  eye  of  Heaven 
Vailed  its  radiant  orb  to  shun. 

“To  glut  the  shark  and  crocodile 
A mother  brought  her  infant  here; 

She  saw  its  tender,  playful  smile, 

She  shed  not  one  maternal  tear; 

She  threw  it  on  a watery  bier : 

With  grinding  teeth  sea-monsters  tore 
The  smiling  infant  that  she  bore — 

She  shrunk  not  once  its  cries  to  hear!” 


He  then  turns  and  addresses  Kalee,  and  in  the  second  verse 
following  literally  quotes  the  Shaster  describing  her : 

“ Dark  goddess  of  the  iron  mace, 

Flesh-tearer,  quaffing  life-blood  warm, 

The  terrors  gf  thine  awful  face 

The  pulse  of  mortal  hearts  alarm — 

Grim  power!  If  human  woes  can  charm, 

Look  to  the  horrors  of  this  flood, 

Where  crimsoned  Gunga  shines  in  blood, 

And  man-devouring  monsters  swarm. 

“Skull-chaplet  wearer!  whom  the  blood 
Of  man  delights  a thousand  years, 

Than  whom  no  face,  by  land  or  flood. 

More  stern  and  pitiless  appears ; 

Thine  is  the  cup  of  human  tears, 

The  pomp  of  human  sacrifice: 

Cannot  the  cruel  blood  suffice 
Of  tigers,  which  thine  island  bears 


474 


TEE  LANE  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


“ Not  all  blue  Gunga’s  mountain  flood, 
That  rolls  so  proudly  round  thy  fane, 
Can  cleanse  the  tinge  of  human  blood, 
Nor  wash  dark  Saugors  impious  stain : 
The  sailor,  journeying  on  the  main, 

Shall  view  from  far  thy  dreary  isle, 

And  curse  the  ruins  of  the  pile 
Where  mercy  ever  sued  in  vain ! ” 


This  iniquity  was  openly  and  fearlessly  practiced  in  India  up  to 
the  time  when  the  Marquis  Wellesley,  brother  of  the  Duke  of 
Wellington,  was  appointed  Governor-General,  and  India’s  daugh- 
ters will  yet  learn  to  revere  and  love  the  memory  of  that  humane 
and  intrepid  man,  who,  in  the  face  of  the  obstacles  that  arose 
around  him  on  every  side,  when  he  attempted  to  deal  with  this 
“ custom,”  never  faltered  till  he  had  put  the  protection  of  Christian 
law  over  the  life  of  every  child  in  India.  His  Excellency  honestly 

and  bravely  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  magistracy 
of  India  “ A Regulation 
for  Preventing  the  Sacri- 
fice of  Children  at  Saugor 
and  other  places,  passed 
by  the  Governor-General 
in  Council,  on  the  20th 
of  August,  1802,”  “declar- 
ing the  practice  to  be  mur- 
der, punishable  by  death.” 
In  British  India,  so  far  as 
law  could  reach  the  case, 
he  made  infanticide  to  be 
regarded  and  punished  as 
The  Marquis  Wellesley.  jn  England 

We  present  here  an  outline  of  the  countenance  of  this  true  friend 
of  woman,  as  that  of  one  whose  deeds  of  mercy  will  be  held  in  ever- 
lasting remembrance. 

It  is  no  doubt  true  that  children  have  been  secretly  offered  to 


CA USES  OF  FEMALE  INFANTICIDE. 


475 


sanguinary  demons  in  India,  and  many  of  the  infants  thrown  to  the 
crocodiles  or  sharks  at  Saugor  by  their  mothers  were  immolated  in 
fulfillment  of  religious  vows.  Even  the  desire  for  children  has  led 
to  their  destruction,  the  mother  promising  her  deity,  in  advance, 
that  if  blessed  with  offspring,  the  first-born  should  be  returned 
in  sacrifice.  In  this  case  “the  child  of  the  vow”  is  carefully  cher- 
ished for  three  or  four  years,  and  then  the  mother,  tempting  it  a 
step  beyond  its  depth,  resigns  it  to  the  Ganges,  or  deliberately 
casts  it  toward  the  pampered  alligator,  and  stands  to  see  it  bleed- 
ing within  the  monster's  jaws ! Again,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  a 
poor,  sickly  babe  (under  the  blind  infatuation  of  its  parents,  that  its 
illness  is  caused  by  some  malignant  demon  who  has  taken  posses- 
sion of  it)  to  be  placed  in  a basket  and  carried  into  the  forest,  and 
there  suspended  from  a tree,  and  abandoned  for  three  or  four  days 
and  nights ; and  if,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  the  vultures,  or  ants,  or 
beasts  of  prey,  have  not  made  away  with  it,  and  its  sickness  has 
departed,  it  is  restored  to  its  home. 

But  none  of  these  abominable  cruelties  adequately  account  for 
the  prevalence  of  female  infanticide.  We  have  to  seek  its  causes 
in  more  unworthy  motives  than  even  these.  In  fact,  the  daughters 
of  India  have  been  sacrificed  one  generation  after  another,  not  to 
the  superstition  of  their  parents,  but  to  their  Satanic  pride. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  convey  to  American  readers,  or  to  the 
common  sense  of  a Christian  lady,  any  adequate  idea  of  the  soaring 
and  extravagant  pride  of  family  descent  of  such  a race  as  the 
Rajpoots. 

Multitudes  of  these  Rajpoots  are  as  poor  as  they  are  proud,  and 
as  immemorial  custom  requires,  in  the  event  of  a daughter’s  mar- 
riage, not  only  her  own  “ gift  and  dowry  ” to  be  provided,  but  the 
festivities  of  the  occasion,  lasting  six  days,  to  be  furnished  for  all 
relatives  and  friends,  priests,  bards,  and  various  functionaries,  who 
must  be  “bidden”  and  provided  for  munificently,  it  is  simply  ruin- 
ous for  all  but  the  wealthy  to  dare  the  experiment,  certainly  more 
than  once : hence  the  female  children  are  still  secretly  murdered. 

To  this  is  added,  what  is  equally  difficult  for  Europeans  and 


476 


• THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Americans  to  understand  or  sympathize  with,  the  general  horror 
which  parents  in  India  feel  in  view  of  the  supposed  disgrace  which 
would  rest  upon  them  and  theirs  in  the  event  of  their  daughters 
remaining  unmarried. 

An  additional  explanation  is  found  in  the  relation  which  a son 
bears  to  the  Shraad  of  his  father — those  funeral  rites  at  which  he 
is  to  officiate,  and  which  are  considered  essential  to  the  happy 
transmigration  and  future  welfare  of  the  departed  parent ; so  that 
the  birth  of  a boy,  and  of  each  in  succession,  is  an  assurance  of 
salvation  to  the  father,  while,  as  sacrifice  and  religious  rites  are  all 
denied  to  women,  a girl  is  regarded  as  of  no  moral  moment  what- 
ever. She  is  a mere  secular  creature,  whose  life  is  considered  as 
forfeited  if  the  father  concludes  that  there  is  no  reasonable  pros- 
pect of  a suitable  marriage  for  her,  or  that  his  means  wont  allow 
him  to  contemplate  the  customary  nuptial  expenses  of  his  tribe. 
What  girls  are  saved  from  death  are  usually  those  first  born  ; the 
later  ones  have  not  a chance  of  life,  those  spared  requiring  the'ir 
death  as  a necessity  of  their  position  and  dignity. 

This  wholesale  destruction  of  human  life  in  the  homes  of  India 
is  a parental  responsibility ; but  at  whose  hands  have  these  inno- 
cents perished  ? By  the  midnight  assassin,  or  the  Indian  toma- 
hawk or  scalping  knife?  No,  no;  let  humanity  shudder.  They 
are  the  mothers — the  unhappy  mothers — who,  in  the  name  of  false 
honor,  demon  pride,  and  hereditary  fictions  of  rank  or  purity  of 
lineage,  have  no  compassion  on  the  fruit  of  their  own  womb,  who 
imbrue  their  'hands  in  the  blood  of  their  new-born  babes. 

Say,  ye  happy  American  mothers,  who  have  fondled  your  smil- 
ing babes,  and  clasped  them  to  your  bosoms  as  the  most  precious 
gifts  of  Heaven,  if  ever  such  a tale  of  woe  as  this  has  sounded  in 
your  ears  ? It  will  be  a satisfaction  to  you  to  reflect  that  the  lady 
missionaries  whom  your  societies  are  now  sending  to  that  land, 
and  who  carry  right  into  the  center  of  these  homes  your  Christian 
sentiments  and  feelings  upon  this  subject,  may  be  designed  by 
God  to  work  out  a remedy  for  an  evil  which  has  hitherto  defied 
human  law  and  all  that  man  alone  could  do  for  its  extirpation. 


THE  BETROTHAL  OF  THE  GIRLS. 


477 


May  Heaven  help  them,  until  the  clay  shall  dawn  when  the  moth- 
ers of  India,  exulting  over  their  daughters — over  each  and  all  of 
them — as  joyously  as  they  have  ever  done  over  their  sons,  shall 
delight  to  direct  their  husband’s  loving  attention  to  their  female 
children,  as  the  Christian  poet  has  expressed  it  for  them  : 

“ O look  on  her,  see  how  full  of  life. 

Of  strength,  of  bloom,  of  beauty,  and  of  joy  ! 

How  like  to  me,  how  like  to  thee,  when  gentle. 

For  then  we  are  all  alike  : is  it  not  so  ? 

Mother,  and  sire,  and  babe,  our  features  are 
Reflected  in  each  other. 

Look  ! how  she  laughs  and  stretches  out  her  arms, 

And  opens  wide  her  bright  eyes  upon  thine. 

To  hail  her  father,  while  her  little  form 
Flutters  as  winged  "’with  joy.  Talk  not  of  pain  ! 

The  childless  seraphs  well  might  envy  thee 
The  pleasures  of  a parent  ! Bless  her  ! 

As  yet  she  has  no  words  to  thank  thee,  but 
Her  heart  will,  and  mine  own  too.” 

It  seems  a rapid  transition,  from  describing  the  early  childhood 
of  the  female  sex  in  India,  to  speak  of  betrothal,  yet  the  inter- 
vening space  is  not  very  extensive.  The  Hindoo  Shasters  say 
that  a girl  is  marriageable  when  she  is  seven  years  of  age,  but  that 
she  may  wait  till  she  is  ten  years  old.  The  term  “marriage”  is 
used  in  their  writings  to  include  betrothal  as  well  as  what  we  mean 
by  the  term.  Reserved  for  a husband  is,  in  their  view,  almost  as 
sacred  as  being  resigned  to  his  care. 

As  soon  as  a little  girl  has  reached  her  fifth  birthday  her  parents 
begin  anxiously  to  seek  a marriage  settlement  for  her.  Their  great 
concern  henceforth  relates  to  her  nuptials.  They  would  consider 
it  a decided  reproach  if  she  saw  her  twelfth  natal  day  without 
being  at  least  betrothed.  The  whole  matter  is  held  in  their  own 
hands.  The  poor  girl  has  no  choice  or  voice  in  her  own  destiny — 
all  is  arranged  without  consulting  her  views  or  affections  in  any 
way  whatever. 

The  lawgiver  Menu  has  laid  the  obligations  heavily  upon  the 
father,  so  that  he  cannot  escape  the  public  sentiment.  Menu 
ordains  as  follows  : “ Reprehensible  is  the  father  who  gives  not  his 


478 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


daughter  in  marriage  at  the  proper  time  and  again,  “To  an 
excellent  and  handsome  youth  of  the  same  class  let  every  man 
give  his  daughter  in  marriage,  according  to  law,  even  though  she 
have  not  attained  her  age  of  eight  years.” 

He  carries  up  the  responsibility  to  an  awful  height  by  declaring 

the  neglectful  father,  whose  daughter  has  not  been  wed  at  twelve 

years  old,  as  incurring  a guilt  equal  to  that  of  the  murder  of  a 

Brahmin  for  every  additional  month  she  continues  single.  He 

reduces,  according  to  her  age,  the  amount  of  the  nuptial  present 

which  the  father  receives,  and  even  deprives  herself  of  the  right  to 

carry  her  ornaments  from  her  home  in  the  same  proportion,  and 

thus  appeals  to  the  mean  motive  of  personal  interest  to  hurry  on 

* 

her  settlement. 

The  accountability  is  also  pressed  to  avoid  the  condemnation  of 
leaving  his  daughter  asancrita,  that  is,  destitute  of  the  marriage 
sacrament.  If  he  fails  in  this  the  law  releases  his  children  from  all 
obligation  of  respect  or  obedience  to  him. 

In  the  same  chapter  he  also  claims  that  “the  wife  of  an  elder 
brother  is  considered  as  mother-in-law  to  the  younger,  and  the 
wife  of  the  younger  as  daughter-in-law  to  the  elder.”  This  implies, 
what  is  generally  a fact,  that  it  is  seldom  that  a young  couple  in 
India  have  the  luxury  of  a separate  home.  The  bride  is  generally 
taken  to  her  father-in-law’s  residence,  and  receives  her  apartment 
within  the  inclosure  surrounding  the  general  home.  The  outer 
rooms  are  occupied  by  the  males  of  the  family,  the  inner  or 
secluded  ones  by  the  women — hence  called  the  Zenana.  These 
inner  apartments  are  never  entered  by  one  of  the  opposite  sex, 
save  by  the  father,  her  husband’s  brothers,  or  by  children. 

Harem — or  as  Mr.  Lane  spells  it,  Hhareem — signifies  sacred, 
prohibited.  The  temple  at  Mecca  is  called  Al-haram , that  is,  the 
sacred  inviolable  temple.  The  Seraglio  of  the  Turks  is  a com- 
pound word,  formed  from  sura , “ house,  apartment,”  and  ahul, 
“ family,  domestic  hence  Surahulio,  or  Seraglio,  the  “ family  or 
female  apartment.”  Haram  sera,  and  muhal  sera,  are  nearly 
synonymous  words,  and  are  often  used  to  express  the  inner 


COURTSHIP  UNKNOWN  IN  INDIA. 


479 


apartments  in  India.  The  common  term  is  Zenana — from  Zun, 
“a  woman,”  Zunun,  “women,”  an  instance  of  the  prevalence  of  the 
Persian  language  over  the  vernacular.  (The  Calcutta  Review, 
No.  IV.) 

“ Courtship,”  in  our  Christian  sense,  the  maiden  in  India  can 
never  know.  She  is  not  allowed  to  see  or  converse  with  him  to 
whose  control  she  will  erelong  be  handed  over.  She  cannot  write 
to  him,  for  she  can  neither  read  nor  write  ; all  she  is  able  to 
do  is  to  follow  the  instructions,  to  “ worship  the  gods  for  a 
good  husband.”  She  is  taught  to  commence  as  soon  as  she  is  four 
years  old.  Her  prayers  are  addressed  chiefly  to  Kama-dera , the 
Hindoo  Cupid.  The  books  represent  him  as  having  for  a steed  an 
elephant  composed  of  entwined  female  forms,  and  that  elephant  is 
darkness  ; his  car  is  the  south  wind  ; his  bow  the  sweet  sugar-cane, 
with  a row  of  green  honey  bees  for  its  string,  and  charmed  flowers 
for  its  fine  arrows  ; his  minister  is  spring  ; the  ocean  is  his  drum  ; 
his  trumpeters  are  birds,  and  his  conquering  troops  are  women. 
He  is  especially  worshiped  where  he  celebrates  his  triumphs  in 
connection  with  marriage  festivals. 

The  maiden  prays,  and  father  and  mother  manage  the  business 
of  selection.  Each  caste  has  its  professional  match-makers,  whose 
aid  is  indispensable.  When  the  negotiations  have  reached  a cer- 
tain definiteness,  the  Pundits  are  consulted  to  avoid  mistakes  of 
consanguinity,  and  then  the  astrologers,  who  pronounce  upon  the 
carefully  preserved  horoscopes  of  the  boy  and  girl,  whether  they 
can  be  united  with  safety.  These  preliminaries  all  found  satisfac- 
tory, the  aid  of  the  Brahmin  is  sought  to  ascertain  if  the  family 
god  favors  the  union.  The  stars,  the  gods,  and  men  being  a unit, 
negotiations,  are  opened  between  the  parents  and  relations  as  to 
the  amount  of  gift  and  dowry,  and  when  conclusions  are  reached 
here  to  their  mutual  satisfaction,  the  astrologer  is  again  called  in 
to  ascertain  and  name  a lucky  day  when  the  agreement  may  be 
registered  and  a bond  for  the  dowry  executed.  This  is  done  with 
due  solemnity,  and  then  the  astrologer  has  again  to  ascertain  and 
name  a lucky  day  for  the  ceremony,  which  is  accepted  by  the 


480 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


parents  under  their  bond  to  see  to  the  consummation  of  the  engage- 
ment. This  is  the  usual  method,  slightly  varied  in  different  locali- 
ties. It  is  easily  expressed  in  these  few  words,  but  what  anxiety, 
what  care  and  inquiry  before  these  determinations  can  be  reached  ! 

No  part  of  the  Institutes  of  Menu  is  more  definite  and  circum- 
stantial than  that  which  gives  the  law  of  selection  in  marriage. 
With  the  eye  and  taste  of  a whimsical  connoisseur  in  female 
charms,  the  old  legislator  has  prescribed  the  standard  of  excellen- 
ces in  age,  caste,  condition,  and  qualities,  by  which  the  Hindoo 
maiden  is  to  be  tested.  Nor  has  he  or  his  commentators  forgotten 
the  requisite  compromises  that  will  arise  in  such  cases. 

With  great  care  and  anxiety  the  questions  of  consanguinity, 
name,  physical  condition,  motion,  family,  etc.,  have  all  to  be  de- 
cided upon.  But  let  this  singular  law  speak  for  itself. 

As  to  relationship,  “ she  who  is  not  descended  from  his  paternal 
or  maternal  ancestors  within  the  sixth  degree,  and  who  is  not 
known  by  the  family  name  to  be  of  the  same  primitive  stock  with 
his  father  or  mother,  is  eligible  by  a twice-born  man  for  nuptials 
and  holy  union.” 

The  phrase  “ twice-born  ” refers  to  the  investiture  of  high-caste 
men  with  the  sacred  string  into  the  full  immunities  of  their  order, 
called  a “ second  birth.” 

As  to  families  outside  the  pale  of  selection  Menu  ordains  : “ In 
connecting  himself  with  a wife  let  him  studiously  avoid  the  ten 
following  families,  be  they  ever  so  great,  or  ever  so  rich  in  kine, 
goats,  sheep,  gold,  and  grain  — the  family  that  has  omitted  pre- 
scribed acts  of  religion  ; that  which  has  produced  no  male  chil- 
dren ; that  in  which  the  Veda  has  not  been  read  ; that  which  has 
thick  hair  on  the  body  ; and  those  which  have  been  subject  to 
hemorrhoids,  to  phthisis,  to  dyspepsia,  to  epilepsy,  to  leprosy,  and 
to  elephantiasis.” 

The  right  family  and  the  proper  relationship  having  been  care- 
fully sought  and  found,  the  child’s  personal  suitability  is  then 
examined  ; and  first  her -age:  “A  Brahmin  should,  according  to 
law,  rriarry  a maiden  about  a third  of  his  own  age.”  The  exact 


BETROTHED  AND  SECLUDED  HENCEFORTH.  48 1 

proportion  is  not  frequently  realized  ; but  whether  the  bridegroom 
be  old  or  young,  the  Hindoo  bride  should  not  be  over  twelve  years 
of  age. 

Her  name  is  the  next  consideration,  and  the  legislator  has  seri- 
ously provided  for  this  also.  Lovers  in  this  land  offer  new  names, 
and  ladies  accept  them  and  lose  their  own.  In  India  it  is  not  so. 
There  the  wife  is  ever  known  only  by  her  maiden  name  ; hence 
the  name  is  of  vital  importance,  and  the  law  gravely  prescribes  as 
follows  : “ Let  him  not  marry  a girl  with  the  name  of  a constella- 
tion, of  a tree,  or  of  a river,  of  a barbarous  nation,  or  of  a mountain, 
or  of  a winged  creature,  a snake,  or  a slave  ; nor  one  with  any 
name  raising  an  image  of  terror.  The  names  of  women  should 
be  agreeable,  soft,  clear,  captivating  the  fancy,  auspicious,  ending 
in  long  vowels,  resembling  words  of  benediction.”  Chapter  iii, 
sec.  4. 

A list  of  sixty-nine  names  of  Hindoo  ladies  is  before  us  as  we 
write,  and  all  of  them  answer  to  this  requirement.  They  run 
thus:  “ Hira,  Kaminee,  Dasee,  Munee,  Pudrna,  Sidhoo,  Bhowanee, 
Riituna,”  etc. 

The  preliminaries  we  have  already  noted  completed,  the  two 
children  are  then  duly  and  properly  betrothed  by  the  officiating 
Brahmin.  So  legal,  however,  is  the  ceremony  considered,  that, 
should  the  boy  die  ere  they  come  to  live  together  as  man  and  wife, 
the  little  girl  is  thereby  considered  a widow,  and  under  the  law  of 
her  religion  is  debarred  from  ever  marrying  any  one  else.  Indeed, 
till  British  humanity  interfered,  many  of  them  became  suttees,  and 
were  actually  burned  with  the  dead  body  of  the  youth  whom  they 
never  knew  nor  loved  as  a husband — being  at  once  a virgin,  a 
widow,  and  a suttee  on  the  last  wretched  day  of  their  singular  life  ! 

As  soon  as  the  ceremony  of  betrothal  has  taken  place,  the  little 
girl  enters  on  a new  phase  of  her  existence.  Henceforth  she  is  no 
more  free  to  roam  the  fields  and  enjoy  the  lovely  face  of  nature. 
Reserved  for  her  husband,  she  can  no  longer  be  seen  with  pro- 
priety by  any  man  save  her  father  and  brothers. 

She  is  from  that  day  “ a purdah  nasheen  ” — one  who  sits  behind 


482 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


the  curtains,  within  the  inclosure  which  surrounds  her  mother’s 
home,  and  her  education  commences. 

What,  then,  is  the  education,  so  called,  which  the  betrothed  wife 
in  her  Hindoo  home  receives  during  her  five  or  six  years  of  train- 
ing for  her  future  life  ? Her  mother  is  her  sole  instructor.  But 
she  can  teach  no  more  than  she  herself  knows  ; that,  however,  she 
fully  communicates.  We  may  epitomize  the  young  lady’s  educa- 
tion, the  entire  curriculum  of  it,  under  four  heads,  cooking,  do- 
mestic service,  religion,  and  their  peculiar  female  literature. 

The  first  qualification  is  to  cook,  not  only  well,  but  appropriately. 
Each  caste  has  its  own  ordinances,  and  these  are  very  minute  and 
particular  as  to  the  kinds  of  food  that  may  be  eaten,  their  mode  of 
preparation  and  serving,  and  the  care  required  to  preserve  the 
cooking  utensils  from  all  contact  with  things  or  persons  whose 
touch  would  pollute  them.  In  fact,  caste  is  preserved  in  the  mat- 
ter of  food  more  carefully  than  in  any  thing  else.  A violation  of 
her  duty  here  would  involve  consequences  at  which  she  is  taught 
to  shudder.  The  health  and  life  of  her  husband  may  be  forfeited 
by  an  unintentional  neglect  of  hers.  Even  where  wealth  and  high 
position  may  excuse  her  from  the  drudgery  of  preparation,  the 
Hindoo  wife  is  not  released  from  the  careful  superintendence  of 
this  vital  duty.  We  in  this  western  world  have  little  idea  of  the 
importance  attached  to  it  there,  where,  indeed,  it  may  be  truly 
said  that  their  “kingdom  of  God  is  meat  and  drink,”  and  where 
the  Christian  freedom  of  the  text,  “ Every  creature  of  God  is  good, 
and  nothing  to  be  refused  if  it  be  received  with  thanksgiving,”  is  a 
doctrine  unknown  and  a liberty  unenjoyed.  By  the  little  lady 
long,  weary  months  are  thus  employed  in  the  acquirement  of  these 
distinctions  and  customs. 

Woman,  ignorant  though  she  be,  is  the  depository  of  the  system 
of  Hindustanee  heathenism.  She  was  taught  it  orally  by  her 
mother  in  girlhood.  In  her  memory  are  treasured  up  the  “ slokes” 
of  her  religion — the  verses  of  the  Shasters  which  illustrate  the 
popular  idolatry.  She  has  learned  the  histories  of  her  gods  and 
the  dialogues  of  her  mythological  legends,  and  with  these  she  is 


EDUCATION  OF  TUE  HINDOO  MAIDEN.  483 

now  industriously  storing  the  mind  of  the  child  whom  she  is  train- 
ing to  be  a Hindoo  wife. 

To  these  she  adds  the  literature  for  females  found  in  the  books 
of  her  country.  Space  permits  us  to  notice  but  one  of  those  man- 
uals of  maiden  education,  which  this  mother  is  now  teaching  from 
her  own  remembrance — for  she  cannot  read  a word  of  it — to  her 
little  daughter  to  fit  her  for  her  future  duties. 

There  are  three  leading  deities  in  Hindooism.  The  first,  Brah- 
ma, is  not  worshiped  ; he  lost  the  right  to  be  by  his  own  unspeak- 
able vileness.  The  other  two,  Vishnu  and  Shiva,  divide  between 
them  the  more  special  regard  of  the  women  of  India;  and  as  the 
two  gods  are  in  a state  of  hostility,  their  devotees  join  their  re- 
spective factions  and  keep  up  the  wordy  contest.  Vishnu  and 
Shiva  have  consorts  who,  of  course,  take  sides,  each  with  her  own 
lord  and  against  the  other.  Lakshmi  is  Vishnu’s  consort,  and 
Parvati  that  of  Shiva.  The  two  deities  seem  to  have  left  the  high 
dispute,  so  far  as  words  are  concerned,  to  be  carried  on  by  their 
ladies,  between  whom  it  is  supposed  to  be  progressing  continually. 
The  little  book  containing  this  celestial  quarrel  is  a special  favorite 
with  the  women  of  India ; they  learn  it  and  treasure  its  sentences 
in  their  memory,  and  rehearse  it,  taking  the  parts  at  festivals  and 
other  occasions,  for  the  amusement  of  the  guests. 

This  abominable  circle  of  endless  strife,  in  every  bitter  invective 
uttered,  refers  to  alleged  facts  in  the  mythological  history  of  the 
parties  named,  and  of  course  has  a depth  of  meaning  and  pungency 
which  it  is  impossible  to  convey  to'  readers  unacquainted  with  the 
legends  of  India.  But  enough  is  here  intimated  to  cause  the 
gentle  heart  of  any  Christian  woman  to  compassionate  the  millions 
of  her  sex -who  are  thus  systematically  debauched  in  their  imagina- 
tions and  affections  by  their  very  mothers,  as  they  educate  them 
thus  to  continue  their  own  degradation  and  that  of  their  offspring 
forever.  How  much  such  females  need  the  Christian  teacher,  and 
what  light  the  Holy  Bible  would  bring  to  such  homes,  and  what  a 
contrast  of  loveliness,  and  purity,  and  goodness  the  story  of  our  In- 
carnate God  would  be  to  such  instruction,  can  be  seen  at  a glance ! 


484 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


We  have  mentioned  the  present  dawn  of  a better  day.  It  is  but 
the  dawn.  Dr.  Mullen’s  statistics  tell  us  that  already  there  are 
39,647  women  and  girls  receiving  an  education  in  the  Zenana 
schools  in  India.  The  number  is  by  this  time  larger,  and  still 
increasing,  yet  what  are  these  among  100,000,000! 

The  question  of  caste  has  an  immense  influence  in  the  mar- 
riage arrangement  of  the  Hindoos,  and  its  discriminations  against 
women  are  particularly  mean  and  insulting  to  her  nature  ; while 
the  compromises  constantly  occurring  show  how  the  cupidity  of 
the  legislators,  and  of  the  violators  of  the  code,  outrage  the  pro- 
fessed inflexibility  of  their  own  regulations. 

For  instance,  the  Institutes  ordain:  “Men  of  the  twice-born 
classes,  who,  through  weakness  of  intellect  or  irregularity,  marry 
women  of  the  lowest  class,  very  soon  degrade  their  families  and 
progeny  to  the  state  of  Sudras.  A Brahmin,  if  he  takes  a Sudra 
as  his  first  wife,  sinks  to  the  region  of  torment ; if  he  have  a child 
by  her  he  loses  even  his  priestly  rank.” 

In  their  absurd  mythology,  the  deities  and  the  souls  of  their  an- 
cestors are  represented  as  suffering  from  hunger,  which  can  only 
be  appeased  by  human  attention,  the  cooking  and  presentation  of 
which  is  part  of  the  wife’s  duty.  The  regular  and  frequent  fulfill- 
ment of  this  service  is  considered  to  merit  heaven.  But  these 
dainty  deities  and  transmigrated  folk  are  too  fastidious  to  touch 
the  offering,  hungry  though  they  be,  unless  proffered  by  high-caste 
hands.  The  result  is,  that  the  lady  of  low  rank  can  never  rise  in 
India,  while  the  favored  few  of  high  caste,  with  all  their  peculiar 
immunities,  are  sacredly  reserved  for  themselves  by  these  sacer- 
dotal legislators. 

The  head  of  a family,  a shade  higher  in  caste,  will  not  give  his 
son  in  marriage  to  the  daughter  of  a family  a shade  lower  on  equal 
terms.  But  he  will  do  it  on  receiving  a sum  of  money  in  propor- 
tion to  the  means  of  that  family,  the  cash  condoning  the  caste. 

April  and  May  are  favorite  months  for  the  marriage  ceremony 
among  the  Hindoos,"  though  the  rite  takes  place  earlier  in  the  year. 
But  no  father  will  have  a marriage  in  his  house  during  June,  July, 


MA  MU  A GE  MW  CESSIONS. 


485 


August,  and  September,  the  universal  belief  being  that  the  deity 
is  then,  during  the  whole  rainy  season,  down  on  a visit  to  the  cele- 
brated Rajah  Bull,  and  is  consequently  unable  to  bless  the  rite 
with  his  presence. 

The  ceremonies  of  marriage  in  India  are  too  well  known  to  need 
repetition  here.  Often,  when  traveling  at  night  in  my  palanquin, 
I have  been  roused  from  my  sleep  by  my  bearers  catching  sight  of 
an  approaching -marriage  procession,  with  its  torches,  music,  and 
shouting  ; falling  in  with  the  enthusiasm  of  each  event,  they  would 
cry  out  that  “the  bridegroom  cometh.”  First,  the  bridegroom 
would  make  his  appearance,  mounted  on  a fine  horse,  splendidly 
caparisoned — his  own  or  borrowed  for  the  occasion — and  wearing 
a grand  coat,  decked  out  in  tinsel  and  gold  thread,  with  the  matri- 
monial crown  on  his  head,  and  his  richly  embroidered  slippers,  all 
very  fine,  his  friends  shouting  and  dancing  along-side  of  him  ; and, 
of  course,  as  he  passes,  we  make  our  salaam  and  wish  him  joy. 

Right  behind  the  bridegroom’s  horse  comes  the  palanquin  of  the 
bride,  but  she  is  vailed,  and  the  Venetians  are  closely  shut,  and  on 
the  little  lady  is  borne  to  a home  which  she  never  saw  before,  to 
surrender  herself  into  the  hands  of  one  who  has  neither  wooed  nor 
won  her  ; a bride  without  a choice,  with  no  voice  in  her  own  des- 
tiny ; married  without  preference  ; handed  over,  by  those  who 
assumed  to  do  all  the  thinking  for  her,  to  a fate  where  the  feelings 
of  her  heart  were  never  consulted  in  the  most  important  transac- 
tion of  her  existence  ; beginning  her  married  life  under  circum- 
stances which  preclude  the  possibility  of  her  being  sustained  by 
the  affection  which  is  founded  upon  esteem. 

When  the  procession  has  come  within  hailing  distance  of  his 
home  the. watching  friends  go  forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom,  the 
bride  enters  her  apartments,  the  door  is  shut,  and  the  guests  are 
entertained  in  other  parts  of  the  establishment. 

Let  us  now  consider  her  life  as  a married  lady  in  her  own  home, 
surrounded  by  the  cruel  prejudices  and  customs  which  meet  her  at 
the  threshold  and  subject  her  to  their  sway.  What  they  are  may 
be  gathered  from  a few  statements. 


486 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


When  I sit  down  at  a table  in  this  land,  spread  with  Heaven’s 
bounty  for  the  family  and  friends,  and  look  at  the  Christian  woman 
who  so  sweetly  presides  at  the  board,  and  whose  blessed  presence 
sheds  such  light  and  gladness  on  the  scene,  I often  sigh  to  think 
that  no  such  sight  as  this  is  enjoyed  in  India,  for  that  land  is 
cursed  by  the  iron  rule  of  a system  which  denies  to  her  the  joys 
and  charities  of  social  life.  No  lady  in  India  sits  at  the  head  of 
her  own  table  ; no  stranger  can  share  her  presence  in  hospitality ; 
her  healing  word  or  hand  cannot  be  extended  to  the  sick  or  to  the 
whole.  Woman’s  gentle,  blessed  ministries  have  no  exercise  in 
India.  Her  services  are  all  selfishly  reserved  for  him  whom  now 
she  is  taught  to  regard  as  lord  and  master,  and  on  whom  she  is 
henceforth  to  wait  in  a state  of  abject  submission  and  obedience 
that  has  no  parallel  in  any  other  system  in  this  world. 

My  lady  readers  will  bear  in  mind  that  these  conditions  are  all 
realized  within  the  four  walls  of  the  “compound”  which  inclose  the 
home  of  the  Hindoo  lady.  That  compound  is  the  woman’s  world 
in  India.  In  it  she  lives,  and  seldom  leaves  it  till  she  is  carried 
out  a corpse.  Ever  while  she  inhabits  it,  she  has  “jealousy  for  her 
jailer,  and  suspicion  as  her  spy  and  fain  would  her  husband 
draw  all  these  bonds  tighter  when  he  is  obliged  to  trust  her  in  his 
absence.  Thus  saith  the  Shaster : “ If  a man  goes  on  a journey, 
his  wife  shall  not  divert  herself  by  play,  nor  shall  see  any  public- 
show,  nor  shall  laugh,  nor  shall  dress  herself  in  jewels  or  fine 
clothes,  nor  hear  music,  nor  shall  sit  at  the  window,  nor  shall 
behold  any  thing  choice  and  rare,  but  shall  fasten  well  the  house 
door,  and  remain  private,  and  shall  not  eat  any  dainty  food,  and 
shall  not  blacken  her  eyes  with  powder,  and  shall  not  view  her  face 
in  a mirror  ; she  shall  never  amuse  herself  in  any  such  agreeable 
employment  during  the  absence  of  her  husband.” 

Was  there  any  insult  ever  offered  to  a lady’s  nature  equal  to 
that  which  this  law  has  laid  down,  when  it  enjoins  the  Brahmin  to 
suspend  his  reading  of  the  Veda  to  his  disciples  should  a woman 
happen  to  come  in  sight  while  he  was  so  employed,  and  directs 
him  not  to  resume  the  utterance  of  the  holy  texts  until  she  has 


WOMAN'S  SUBORDINATION  ENJOINED.  487 

passed  beyond  the  possibility  of  hearing  them  ? Her  ear  is  not 
pure  enough  to  hear  what  the  vilest  male  thief  or  sensualist  in  the 
Bazaar  may  listen  to  freely  ! Woman’s  religious  knowledge  must 
not  rise  higher  than  the  Shasters.  The  “ holy  ” Vedas  are  re- 
served for  men,  and  for  them  alone. 

These  old  laws  were  in  existence  when  the  New  Testament  was 
written  ; and  in  the  provisions  of  that  Christianity  which  threw  its 
blessed  protection  over  woman’s  nature  and  rights,  did  not  the 
Holy  Spirit  glance  at  these  wrongs,  and  provide  the  principle  of 
their  final  overthrow  when  he  said  : “ There  is  neither  Jew  nor 
Greek  ; there  is  neither  bond  nor  free  ; there  is  neither  male  nor 
female  ; for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus  ?” — one  in  the  freedom, 
equality  and  privilege  to  which  Heaven’s  impartial  mercy  was  to 
raise  the  Pariah,  the  woman,  and  the  slave,  from  the  degradation 
to  which  heathenism,  in  its  pride  of  power,  had  reduced  those  over 
whom  it  could  thus  safely  tyrannize. 

The  Shaster  renders  her  duty  very  definitely,  as  follows:  “When 
in  the  presence  of  her  husband,  a woman  must  keep  her  eyes  upon 
her  master  and  be  ready  to  receive  his  commands.  When  he 
speaks  she  must  be  quiet,  and  listen  to  nothing  else  besides. 
When  he  calls  she  must  leave  every  thing  else  and  attend  upon 
him  alone.  A woman  has  no  other  god  on  earth  but  her  husband. 
The  most  excellent  of  all  good  works  that  she  can  perform  is  to 
gratify  him  with  the  strictest  obedience.  This  should  be  her  only 
devotion.  Though  he  be  aged,  infirm,  dissipated,  a drunkard,  or  a 
debauchee,  she  must  still  regard  him  as  her  god.  She  must  serve 
him  with  all  her  might,  obeying  him  in  all  things,  spying  no  defects 
in  his  character,  and  giving  him  no  cause  for  disquiet.  If  he 
laughs,  she  must  also  laugh  ; if  he  weeps,  she  must  also  weep  ; if 
he  sings,  she  must  be  in  an  ecstasy.” 

Menu  declares,  “ Though  inobservant  of  approved  usages,  [the 
services  of  their  religion,]  or  enamored  of  another  woman,  or 
devoid  of  good  qualities,  yet  a husband  must  constantly  be  1'erercd 
as  a god  by  a virtuous  wife.” — Institutes , sec.  154.  Such  is  the 
law,  and  the  popular  sentiment  is  not  better  than  the  law  even  to- 


488  THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 

day,  after  these  long  ages  of  helpless  woman’s  subordination  and 
suffering. 

She  waits  upon  her  lord,  who  is  “ her  god,  her  guru,  and  her 
religion,”  as  the  Shaster  phrases  it.  She  lulls  him  to  rest  by  the 
soft  shampooing  of  his  feet,  and  is  at  once  his  slave  and  stewardess. 
Her  worth  is  well  summed  up  by  one  of  their  poets,  who  describes 
the  best  condition  she  can  know,  when  her  bereaved  husband  thus 
laments  her  : 

“ Dost  thou  depart,  who  didst  prepare 
My  savory  food  with  skillful  care? 

On  whom  alone  of  woman  kind 
In  ceaseless  love  I fixed  my  mind  ? 

Whose  palms  so  softly  rubbed  my  feet, 

Till  charmed  I lay  in  slumbers  sweet  ? 

Who  tendedst  me  with  wakeful  eyes, 

The  last  to  sleep,  the  first  to  rise. 

Now  weary  night  denies  repose  ; 

My  eyelids  never  more  shall  close.” 

Yet  while  living  she  might  not  walk  by  his  side,  even  in  the 
marriage  procession  ; she  may  not  even  call  him  by  his  name  nor 
directly  address  him  ; nor  can  a friend  so  far  notice  her  existence 
as  to  inquire  for  her  welfare,  for  the  Sacontala  lays  it  down  as  a 
rule  of  social  life  that  “ it  is  against  good  manners  to  inquire  con- 
cerning the  wife  of  another  man.”  The  face  of  any  man,  save  her 
husband  and  father,  and  her  own  and  husband’s  brothers,  she  must 
never  see,  at  the  risk  of  compromising  her  character.  So  invet- 
erate is  the  prejudice  occasioned  by  their  education  that  many  of 
the  women  of  India  have  sacrificed  their  lives  sooner  than  violate 
the  rule.  The  writer  heard  of  a case  which  sadly  illustrates  this. 
In  the  detachment  which  Major  Broadfoot  had  to  take  from  Lodiana 
to  Cabul  in  1841  there  were  wives  of  many  native  officers,  and  the 
Major,  in  the  performance  of  his  troublesome  duty,  had  them  each 
provided  for  their  long  journey  with  a howdah  fixed  on  a camel’s 
back.  During  the  march  one  of  these  came  to  the  ground  sud- 
denly, and  there  was  a general  halt,  for  the  native  lady  had  got 
entangled  in  the  frame-work  and  had  swung  around  beneath.  An 
English  officer,  seeing  her  danger,  sprang  from  his  horse  to  rescue 


Hindoo  Woman  and  her  Husband. 


t 


WIVES  NOT  ALLOWED  TO  EAT  WITH  HUSBANDS.  491 

her  ; but  his  action  was  arrested  by  the  other  ladies,  who  saw  his 
intention  as  well  as  the  lady’s  peril,  and  from  behind  their  curtains 
cried  out  that  he  must  not  approach  her,  as  he  could  not  save  her 
unless  by  touching  her  person  and  lifting  the  vail  that  enveloped 
her.  The  astonished  officer  would  have  done  it,  nevertheless,  had 
it  not  been  that  the  poor  lady  herself  implored  him  not  to  approach 
her — she  would  rather  risk  death.  Her  struggle  to  escape  was  in 
vain  ; the  terrified  and  unwieldly  beast  actually  trampled  her  to 
death  before  their  eyes  ! 

Look  into  the  home  where  we  left  the  young  bride,  and  see  her 
as  she  begins  the  duties  for  which  she  has  been  trained.  She  rises 
to  prepare  her  husband’s  food,  and  when  all  is  ready  and  laid  out 
upon  the  mat — for  they  ignore  such  aids  as  chairs  and  tables, 
•knives  or  forks,  and  take  their  meals  with  the  hand,  sitting  on  the 
floor — she  then  announces  to  her  lord  that  his  meal  is  ready.  He 
enters  and  sits  down,  and  finds  all  duly  prepared  by  her  care. 
Why  does  she  still  stand  ? Why  not  sit  down,  too,  and  share  with 
her  husband  the  good  things  which  she  has  made  ready  ? She 
dares  not.  He  would  not  allow  it — the  law  of  her  religion  forbids 
it.  She  must  stand  and  wait  upon  him.  He  “eats  his  morsel 
alone”  truly.  No  wife  in  India  can  legally  dine  with  her  husband 
unless  she  becomes  a Christian. 

The  opposite  wood-cut,  taken  from  a picture  of  a Hindoo  home 
of  the  middle  class,  shows  the  situation  of  affairs  generally.  It  is 
substantially  the  same  whether  the  person  be  wealthier  or  poorer 
than  the  one  here  represented.  The  higher  classes  use  more 
indulgences.  The  weather  is  warm  and  a fan  is  needed,  or  a fly- 
flapper  is  required,  for  he  considers  that  he  cannot  use  his  curry- 
stained  fingers  to  drive  the  flies  away  or  cool  himself ; so  the  duty 
in  either  case  devolves  upon  the  wife. 

The  fan  is  made  of  a fragrant  grass  called  khus-khus ; a basin  of 
water  is  ac  her  feet,  and  she  dips  the  fan  into  it  occasionally,  shak- 
ing off'  the  heavy  drops,  and  cools  her  lord  and  master,  who  enjoys, 
as  he  eats,  the  fragrant  evaporation.  Or  the  mosquitoes  may  be 
troublesome,  and  provision  is  made  also  for  this.  The  tail  of  the 


492 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


yak,  or  snow-cow  of  Thibet,  white  and  bushy,  inserted  into  an 
ornamental  shaft,  is  ready  at  hand,  and  with  it  the  lady  whisks 
around  him,  and  saves  him  from  the  slightest  inconvenience. 

The  duty  is  patiently  performed,  and  when  he  has  fully  satisfied 
himself,  she  removes  what  remains  to  another  apartment — for  her 
religion  not  only  forbids  her  eating  with  him,  but  also  prohibits 
her  from  eating,  even  what  he  may  leave,  “ in  the  same  room  where 
he  dines” — and  then,  and  not  till  then,  can  she  and  her  children 
eat  their  food. — Code,  sec.  43. 

Woman  is  absolutely,  and  without  redress,  in  the  power  of  her 
husband,  and  no  one  can  interfere  when  it  stops  short  of  actual  mur- 
der. In  the  western  provinces  of  India  the  reckless  treatment  of 
woman  was  carried  to  its  greatest  extreme.  Before  British  rule  inter- 
fered there  was  positively  no  limit  to  the  cruelty  of  native  husbands. 

. Twenty  years  have  not  passed  since  similar  tyranny  might  have 
been  witnessed  in  the  kingdom  of  Oude,  (before  the  introduction 
of  British  rule  there  threw  the  protection  of  the  law  of  Christ  over 
woman’s  life,  so  far  as  it  can  reach  her  secluded  existence.)  An 
extract  from  a reliable  work,  “ The  Private  Life  of  an  Eastern 
King,”  will  illustrate  this.  The  writer  says,  speaking  of  Nussir-i- 
Deen,  the  late  King  of  Oude:  “Being  irritated,  the  King  retired 
into  the  female  apartment,  and  we  returned  to  our  tents.  Heaven 
help  the  poor  woman  who  has  the  misfortune  at  such  a moment  to 
displease  or  disgust  an  irritated  despot ! An  accidental  sneeze,  a 
louder  cough  than  usual,  nay,  even  an  ungraceful  movement,  may 
bring  down  punishment  terrible  to  think  of — torture,  perhaps,  at 
the  bare  mention  of  which  the  English  wife,  or  mother,  or  daughter 
would  shudder.  Such  things  take  place  but  too  often  in  the 
Hindoo  zenanas  of  India.  Magistrates  know  that  such  things 
often  take  place,  but  they  are  helpless  to  punish  or  prevent.  But 
the  zenana  and  the  harem  are  sacred  ; and  the  female  slave  that 
revealed  their  horrid  mysteries  would  suffer  a lingering  and  ex- 
cruciating death  at  the  hands  of  the  very  woman  whom  her  revela- 
tions might  be  intended  to  protect.  The  chief  and  the  wealthy 
man  who  is  disposed  to  be  cruel  can  act  despotically,  tyrannically 


DISCRIMINATION  AGAINST  WOMAN  AS  SUCH. 


493 


enough  ; but  the  king,  with  unquestioned  power  of  life  or  death  in 
his  hands,  if  once  infuriated  or  enraged,  can  torture  or  kill  without 
question.  ‘ My  wife  is  about  to  be  confined,’  said  a savage  Hindoo 
Rajah  to  his  European  friend,  a solicitor,  ‘and  if  she  does  not 
make  me  the  father  of  a son,  I will  whip  her  to  death  with  my 
hunting-whip.’  The  child  was  born  ; it  was  a daughter ; the 
woman’s  body  was  burned  two  days  after.  How  she  died  no  one 
out  of  the  zenana  certainly  knew.  The  fact  of  the  threat  only 
transpired  long  afterward,  when  it  was  the  interest  of  the  solicitor, 
to  whom  the  remark  had  been  made,  to  prove  the  Rajah  mad  in 
his  later  days  in  order  to  set  aside  a will.” 

The  discrimination  is  against  women  as  such.  Menu  and  his 
commentators  decree  no  equivalent  punishment  upon  male  violat- 
ors of  their  law  or  customs,  and  he  actually  shields  from  all  pen- 
alty the  whole  sacerdotal  class  who  formed  these  laws,  no  matter 
how  many  or  flagrant  their  crimes  may  be.  No  such  “class  legis- 
lation” was  ever  enacted  as  is  exhibited  in  the  following  section 
of  the  Code:  “Never  shall  the  king  slay  a Brahmin,  though  con- 
victed of  all  possible  crimes  ; let  him  banish  the  offender  from  his 
realm,  but  with  all  his  property  secure  and  his  body  unhurt.  No 
greater  crime  is  known  on  earth  than  slaying  a Brahmin,  and  the 
king,  therefore,  must  not  even  form  in  his  mind  an  idea  of  killing  a 
priest.”  Sec.  380. 

When  General  Havelock,  in  1857,  laid  his  hands  upon  these 
dainty  and  pampered  Brahmins,  and,  finding  them  guilty  of  mutiny 
or  murder,  tried  and  convicted  them  like  common  men,  and  ordered 
them  for  punishment  or  execution,  some  of  the  poor  benighted 
people  whom  they  had  thus  deluded  thought  that  the  earth  would 
surely  quake  or  the  heavens  fall.  But,  in  defiance  of  this  unjust 
Code,  they  were  strung  up,  and  the  earth  was  still,  the  sun 
rolled  on  in  its  course  indifferent  to  their  fate,  and  the  spell  of 
Brahminical  inviolability  was  broken  forever,  after  the  long  imposi- 
tion and  cruel  falsehood  of  its  claim.  But  in  the  breaking  of  that 
spell  women  in  India  had  more  interest,  and  gained  more  advan- 
tage, than  in  any  event  of  the  past  generation.  She  knows  it  not 

28 


494 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


yet,  but  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  Havelock’s  grand  march  and 
Christian  soldiership  and  justice  snapped  a galling  link  of  that 
heavy  chain  that  had  so  long  encircled  her  mind  and  body. 

Notwithstanding  the  inhumanity  and  deep  injustice  of  Hindoo 
legislation  for  the  ladies  of  that  land,  their  married  lives  are  not 
without  honor  and  influence,  nor  their  persons  unsupplied  with 
gorgeous  clothing  and  ornaments.  On  the  contrary,  the  law  repeat- 
edly requires  these  things  to  be  supplied  in  abundance.  But  let 
the  whole  truth,  as  to  the  expressed  design  and  motive  of  this  gen- 
erosity, be  candidly  stated,  and  then  let  the  reader  judge  what  is 
the  value  of  this  magnanimity  to  the  heart  of  any  noble  woman. 
Is  it  for  her  sake,  as  true  love  would  prompt,  or  is  it  for  the  grati- 
fication and  interest  of  him  who  confers  it  all  ? The  reply  to  this 
painful  question  I place  before  the  reader. 

Let  it  be  remembered,  as  explanatory,  that  in  India  a woman’s 
curse  is  considered  to  blast  the  person,  the  property,  or  the  home 
against  which  it  is  uttered.  Men  stand  in  fear  of  it,  for  prosperity 
is  impossible  where  it  impends.  The  legislator  (in  Secs.  55-59  of 
the  Code)  has  affirmed  its  liability,  with  the  duty  of  marital  liber- 
ality as  a motive  of  prevention.  Also  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that 
a husband’s  passion  for  sons,  in  view  of  the  relation  of  his  male 
offspring  to  his  shraad  and  happy  transmigration — as  previously 
explained — is  such,  that  all  considerations  are  expected  to  bow  to 
this  desire. 

Polygamy  throws  its  terrors,  either  as  a possibility  or  a fact,  over 
the  heart  of  every  married  lady  in  India.  Creation  and  divine  law 
have  ordained  woman  to  be  queen  of  her  husband’s  heart,  and  to 
reign  without  a rival.  But  heathenism  has  dared  to  overthrow 
that  right,  and  sternly  tells  the  loving  and  trusting  wife  that 
she  must,  and  without  complaining,  admit  a partner  in  her  hus- 
band’s affection,  if  he  desires  it.  How  often  are  long  years  of  duty 
and  fidelity  thus  rewarded,  and  the  true,  faithful  heart  is  crushed 
for  life,  as  she  sees  herself  superseded  by  some  youthful  stranger, 
who  has  stolen  her  lord’s  heart  and  attention,  and  leaves  her  to 
pine  in  neglect  and  sorrow ! 


LEGAL  PROVISION  FOR  POLYGAMY. 


495 


The  right  to  become  a polygamist,  should  he  prefer  it  for  any 
reason,  must  unsettle  any  man’s  heart,  and  be  a barrier  to  true  and 
permanent  affection.  That  right  to  be  thus  unsympathetic  and 
fickle,  and  to  inflict  this  terrible  wrong  upon  her  whom  he  ought  to 
cherish  and  cleave  to,  “ forsaking  all  others,  as  long  as  they  both 
should  live,”  Menu  fully  grants  in  the  following  ordinance  of  his 
Code:  “ A wife  who  drinks  any  spirituous  liquors,  who  acts  immor- 
ally, who  shows  hatred  to  her  lord,  who  is  incurably  diseased,  who 
is  mischievous,  who  wastes  his  property,  may  at  all  times  be  super- 
seded by  another  wife  ; a barren  wife  may  be  superseded  by  anothci 
in  the  eighth  year;  she  whose  children  are  all  dead,  in  the  tenth  ; 
she  who  brings  forth  only  daughters,  in  the  eleventh  ; she  who 
speaks  unkindly,  without  delay  ; but  she  who,  though  afflicted  with 
illness,  is  beloved  and  virtuous,  must  never  be  disgraced,  though 
she  may  be  superseded  by  another  wife  with  her  own  consent.” — 
Code  VIII,  Sec.  204. 

Mere  is  wide  range  enough  from  which  to  select  a cause  of  dis- 
satisfaction, in  any  hour  of  alienation  or  dislike.  No  tribunal  or 
process  is  required  ; the  husband  is  sole  judge  and  executor  of 
this  facile  law  ; and  in  a single  day  the  virtuous  and  faithful  lady 
rn'ay  find  herself  superseded  by  some  youthful  addition  to  her  home, 
or  become  a discarded  outcast,  without  pity  or  redress  on  earth. 

I have  been  often  asked  to  what  extent  polygamy  prevails  in 
India.  For  reasons  already  manifest,  it  is  not  easy  to  give  a suf- 
ficient answer  to  this  inquiry.  I fear  it  is  more  general  than  is 
supposed.  Of  course  the  crime  is  limited  by  its  expense.  It  is  a 
luxury  that  poor  men  cannot  well  afford  ; yet  even  they  are  not 
innocent  of  successional  polygamy : they  often  forsake  or  change 
their  wives,  and  then  take  others.  Among  the  rich  it  is  very  com- 
mon. Indeed,  with  that  class  it  is  viewed  rather  as  an  exhibition 
of  wealth  and  splendor,  and  cases  are  not  rare  where  ten  or  a dozen 
ladies  may  be  found  in  the  zenana  of  a Rajah  or  Nawab. 

There  are  varieties  in  the  law  and  usage  of  the  different  religion- 
ists of  India  in  this  regard,  but  all  of  them  allow  the  practice. 
The  Parsee  faith  and  usage  limits  polygamy  to  a second  wife,  and 


496 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


then  only  where  the  first  is  childless  and  gives  her  consent  to  the 
introduction  of  the  second.  The  Mohammedan  is  allowed  by 
his  Koran  to  take  up  four  wives  or  concubines,  and  few  of  the 
wealthy  ambng  them  limit  themselves  to  less  than  this  number, 
while  it  is  notorious  that  they  use  their  facilities  of  divorce  with  so 
little  scruple  that  their  license  under  their  law  is  practically  unlim- 
ited. The  opulent  Hindoos  are  restricted  somewhat  in  the  increase 
of  their  wives  by  the  absurd  expensiveness  of  their  marriage  cere- 
monies, but  are  limited  in  no  other  way  as  to  the  number  they 
choose  to  take. 

The  law  lays  down  the  subordination  which  is  to  exist  in  a home 
where  there  are  several  wives.  The  first  married  remains  mistress 
of  the  family.  The  others  are  designated  sapatnis,  or  auxiliary  wives, 
and  the  first  is  expected  and  required  to  treat  them  as  younger 
sisters.  Every  additional  wife  added  is  thus  instructed  by  the 
Hindoo  authority  called  Sacontala : “Here,  my  daughter,  when 
thou  art  settled  in  the  mansion  of  thy  husband,  show  due  rever- 
ence to  him,  and  to  those  whom  he  reveres  ; though  he  have  other 
wives,  be  rather  an  affectionate  handmaid  to  them  than  a rival.” 

Extremes  meet,  and  that  often  when  we  would  least  expect  them. 
Who  would  imagine,  in  a country  where  such  rules  of  social  life 
exist,  that  we  should  meet  with  a custom  so  opposite  to  it  in  all 
respects  as  polyandry?  And  yet  this  singular  and  amazing  rela- 
tion existed  in  India  twenty-five  centuries  ago,  and  lingers  to-day 
in  some  localities  to  such  an  extent  as  to  call  for  the  legislative 
action  of  the  English  Government.  It  is  bad  enough  to  be  one 
among  many  wives,  but  to  be  the  wife  of  many  husbands  must  be 
a wonderful  relation  for  any  woman  to  sustain. 

India’s  greatest  poem  is  the  Mahabharata,  and  its  lovely  heroine, 
Draupady,  is  represented,  at  the  great  tournament,  as  throwing  the 
garland  of  preference  over  the  neck  of  the  valiant  Arjuna,  whom 
she  loves  so  well.  But  with  him  she  accepts  his  four  elder  broth- 
ers, and  is  henceforth  regarded  by  all  five  as  their  common  consort. 
Singularly  enough,  there  is  not  a word  of  reprehension  for  the  rela- 
tion, and  the  story  ends  with  the  reception  of  the  entire  family  to 

i 


POLYANDRY. 


497 


the  home  of  the  gods.  Sir  William  Jones,  the  great  Orientalist, 
facetiously  designates  this  family  of  the  Pandian  chiefs  and  their 
common  consort  as  “the  five-maled,  single-female  flower,”  and 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  this  curiosity  bloomed  then  in  other 
localities  of  the  land  besides  Indraprasta.  The  Code  must  certainly 
have  tended  to  its  abolition,  for  except  in  the  Ceylon  Mountains, 
among  the  Nairs  of  the  South,  and  very  limitedly  in  the  Hima- 
laya Mountains,  the  daughters  of  India  have  ceased  to  lament  the 
• Dwaper  Yug — a departed  age — when  they  sang : 

“ Prepost’rous  ! that  one  biped  vain 
Should  drag  ten  housewives  in  his  train, 

And  stuff  them  in  a gaudy  cage, 

Slaves  to  weak  lust  or  potent  rage  ! 

Not  such  the  Dwaper  Yug  ! O then 
One  buxom  dame  might  wed  five  men  ! ” 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  motive  for  this  unnatural  alliance 
in  the  ancient  days,  the  purpose  in  our  own,  as  I learned  in  the 
Himalayas,  is  the  gain  to  be  realized  by  the  sale  of  their  fairer 
daughters  to  supply  the  zenanas  of  the  plains,  and  the  dearth  of 
women  thus  occasioned  led  to  the  continuance  of  this  unnatural 
custom  ; and  so  one  vice  created  another,  and  that,  too,  its  very 
opposite.  The  English  Government  has  done  what  it  could  to 
repress  the  practice  of  polyandry  where  it  still  exists. 

A widow  in  India  is  undoubtedly  the  most  miserable  of  her  sex 
anywhere.  She  is  now  more  than  ever  under  the  tyranny  of  her 
cruel  law,  and  the  bitterest  dregs  of  a woman’s  misery  are  then  and 
henceforth  wrung  out  to  her.  Her  youth,  her  beauty,  her  wealth, 
give  her  no  exemption  whatever ; the  rules,  relentless  as  death, 
enforce  their  dreadful  claims  upon  her  and  crush  her  down.  For- 
merly they  were  expected  to  become  Suttees  and  burn  with  the 
man’s  body.  British  humanity,  thank  Heaven  ! has  ended  that 
hellish  custom.  So  they  live,  but  how  much  better  than  death  is 
their  condition  let  my  readers  judge,  when  they  learn  the  facts  in 
her  case. 

In  the  first  of  these  pages  I introduced  a Hindoo  wife  as  she 
appears  in  her  best  estate — a married  wife  in  her  full  dress  and 


498 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


jewelry.  From  a photograph,  which  has  been  engraved  with  equal 
fidelity,  I now  present  a picture  of  a Hindoo  widow  as  she  appears 
in  her  weeds,  sitting  upon  the  ground  in  her  sorrow.  Her  aspect 
and  her  attire  show  at  first  sight,  even  to  a stranger,  the  agony  of 
her  condition,  which  will  be  better  understood  when  the  rules  of 
her  now  hopeless  existence  are  stated. 

In  the  forms  of  their  exclamations,  when  they  first  realize  that 
they  are  widowed,  there  are  terribly  reflective  phrases  which  imply 
that,  for  aught  they  know,  they  may  be  responsible  for  their  hus- 
band’s death  ; that  not  misery  alone,  but  guilt  also  may  fasten  upon 
their  wretched  hearts.  This  arises  from  the  fear  that  in  the 
responsibilities  of  their  caste  duties,  in  preparing  food,  etc.,  they 
may  have,  even  unwittingly,  violated  some  rule  of  the  Shaster,  and 
that  the  gods  have  visited  the  violation  with  their  vengeance  in 
the  sickness  and  death  of  the  husband.  The  terrific  fear  thus 
seizes  on  the  lacerated  heart  that  they  may  be  guilty  of  the  death 
which  they  mourn  ! Her  own  children  and  friends,  she  justly  fears, 
are  entertaining  similar  thoughts  concerning  her,  and  this  dreadful 
weight  is  enough  to  sink  her  to  despair. 

The  day  she  becomes  a widow,  the  lady  in  India  falls  to  a lot 
little  less  terrible  than  death  itself.  All  her  ornaments  and  beau- 
tiful clothing — on  which  her  poor,  uninstructed  mind  has  doted 
— are  taken  from  her,  so  that  “jewelless  woman”  is  the  well- 
understood  designation  for  a widow.  She  is  henceforth  to  wear 
the  dun-colored  robe  in  which  the  engraving  represents  her,  on 
which  there  must  be  no  seam,  no  fringe,  no  figure.  Her  Tali — 
the  equivalent  of  the  marriage  ring  in  England — which  her  hus- 
band tied  round  her  neck  when  he  married  her,  is  removed.  From 
her  forehead  the  bright  vermilion  mark  is  wiped  away.  Her 
raven  locks  are  ruthlessly  cut  off.  The  terrible  indignity  is  per- 
petual, for  the  head  is  henceforth  shaven  every  ten  days.  The 
terrors  of  the  “ God  of  Hell,”  breaking  forth  against  the  departed 
husband,  are  employed  to  make  her  endure  the  degradation,  for, 
says  the  Casi-Candain,  “ If  matrons  who  have  put  oft  glittering 
ornaments  of  gold  still  wreath  their  hair  in  unshortened  locks,  the 


Hindoo  Widow,  in  her  usual  dress. 


THE  HINDOO  WIDOW.  50 1 

ministers  of  fiery-eyed  Yama  shall  bind  with  cords  the  husband 
of  her  desire.” 

But  even  this  is  not  the  end  of  the  widow’s  misery.  She  must 
henceforth  consider  herself  as  a creature  of  evil  destiny,  practicing 
severe  austerities  ; her  weary  limbs  are  no  longer  to  repose  upon  a 
comfortable  bed  ; her  food  is  to  be  taken  but  once  a day,  and  then 
only  of  the  coarsest  fare  ; and,  lest  her  presence  should  involve  the 
dreadful  doom  of  a widow’s  condition,  she  is  prohibited  from  ever 
appearing  in  the  wedding  ceremonies  of  another  woman,  no  matter 
how  nearly  related  to  her.  The  higher  in  caste  she  is,  the  more 
rigorously  are  these  rules  exacted  ; so  that  a Brahmin’s  widow  is 
the  most  wretched  of  all  : and  this  is  “according  to  law” — a doom 
laid  on  willfully  and  wickedly  by  their  legislation  and  its  commen- 
tators. Menu  ordains  as  follows  : “ Let  her  emaciate  her  body  by 
living  voluntarily  on  pure  flowers,  roots,  and  fruit  ; but  let  her  not, 
when  her  lord  is  deceased,  ever  pronounce  the  name  of  another 
man.  Let  her  continue  till  death  forgiving  all  injuries,  performing 
harsh  duties,  avoiding  every  sensual  pleasure,  and  cheerfully  prac- 
ticing the  incomparable  rules  of  virtue  which  have  been  followed 
by  such  women  as  have  been  devoted  to  one  only  husband.” — Insti- 
tutes, secs.  157,  158.  To  this  the  Casi-Candcnn  adds:  ‘ On  the 
death  of  their  attached  husband,  women  must  eat  but  once  a day, 
must  eschew  betel  and  a spread  mattress,  must  sleep  on  the 
ground,  and  continue  to  practice  rigid  mortification.  Women  who 
have  put  oft'  glittering  jewels  of  gold  must  discharge  with  alacrity 
the  duties  of  devotion,  and,  neglecting  their  persons,  must  feed  on 
herbs  and  roots,  so  as  barely  to  sustain  life  within  the  body.” 

Can  any  thing  equal  this  cruel  audacity  of  proscription  to  hearts 
which  their  system  had  already  crushed  ! Yet  it  may  be  matched 
by  the  willful  blindness  of  our  American  and  British  transcendent- 
alists,  who  profess  to  find  in  Vedic  teaching  and  Hindoo  philoso- 
phy sentiments  and  ethics  which  they  deem  and  commend  as  even 
superior  to  our  Christian  faith  and  morality ! 

It  was  for  the  interest  of  Brahminism  that  these  wretched 
widows,  henceforth  so  useless  and  inconvenient,  should  die,  and 


502  TUB  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 

their  valuables  be  divided  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  suttee.  For 
ages  this  was  done,  and  the  young  and  beautiful  ladies  of  the  land 

were  immolated  amid  sol- 
emn religious  ceremonies 
and  music,  before  applaud- 
ing crowds  of  priests,  and 
pundits,  and  philosophers, 
while  no  voice  was  raised 
against  these  vile  murders 
until  the  Christian  mission- 
ary came  to  plead  for  the 
widow’s  life.  Then  a merci- 
ful God,  in  response  to  their 
prayers  and  efforts,  sent 
that  noble  man,  Lord  Will- 
iam Bentinck,  to  India  as 
Governor-General,  and  to 
him  was  given  the  honor 

LORD  WILLIAM  BF.NTINCK. 

to  face  the  opposition  of 
Pundits  and  Brahmins,  and  in  1829  to  sign  the  law  that  extin- 
guished these  murderous  fires  forever.  The  women  of  India  will 
yet  hang  his  portrait  in  their  homes,  and  gratefully  cherish  his 
memory  as  one  of  India’s  greatest  benefactors. 

The  law  of  Christ  and  the  legislation  of  Christian  countries  per- 
mit a widow,  where  she  chooses  to  do  so,  to  create  and  enjoy  the 
sunshine  of  a second  home  ; but  from  this  right  Hindooism  has  for 
twenty-five  hundred  years  bitterly  prohibited  every  widow  in  India. 

The  Code  declares  that  she  is  bound  by  the  law  to  her  husband 
even  after  he  is  dead,  and  that  to  change  her  life  is  to  sacrifice  her 
claim  to  be  a virtuous  woman.  Menu  says  : “ A faithful  wife,  who 
wishes  to  attain  in  heaven  the  mansion  of  her  husband,  must  do 
nothing  unkind  to  him,  be  he  living  or  dead  ; while  she  who  slights 
not  her  lord,  but  keeps  her  mind,  speech,  and  body  devoted  to  him. 
attains  his  heavenly  mansion,  and  by  good  men  is  called  sadivi,  or 
•virtuous.  Let  her  obsequiously  honor  him  while  he  lives,  and 


RE  MAR  Iil A OE  OF  A WIDOW  FORBIDDEN. 


503 


when  he  dies  let  her  never  neglect  him.  Nor  is  a second  husband 
allowed  in  any  part  of  this  code  to  a virtuous  woman.” — Institutes, 
secs.  151,  162,  165. 

Let  me  remind  the  reader  that  these  rules  refer  not  only  to  the 
aged  widows,  whose  long  life-relation  to  their  husbands  might  give 
some  color  to  these  stern  demands,  but  as  fully  place  the  obliga- 
tion upon  the  virgin  widows  who  never  knew  the  husband’s  care 
or  love.  The  law  is  explicit  here.  Two  authorities  give  the  rule : 
“ It  is  said  to  be  unlawful  for  any  to  touch  jewelless  women,  whose 
eyes  are  like  the  dewy  cavi  flower,  being  deprived  of  their  beloved 
husband,  like  a body  deprived  of  the  spirit.”  “ Nor  must  a damsel 
once  given  away  in  marriage  be  given  a second  time.” 

Old  or  young,  faded  or  lovely,  it  is  all  one  dull  uniformity  of 
woe.  The  number  of  widows  is,  necessarily,  larger  in  India  than  in 
any  other  land  on  earth. 

Can  Christian  ladies  in  this  happy  land  wonder  that  these  vil- 
lainous laws  have  brought  forth  their  fruits  of  death  ; that  women 
in  India,  being  thus  degraded  by  system  and  rule,  have  dragged 
the  nation  down  into  their  own  ruin,  or  that  their  sisters  there 
have  become  demented  and  broken-hearted,  so  that  they  have  so 
long  and  often  preferred  immolation  to  the  sorrowful  lot  of  a Hin- 
doo widow  ? Alas  ! tens  of  thousands  of  them,  after  such  married 
lives  as  theirs,  ignorant,  impulsive,  and  indolent,  when  the  terrible 
alternative  has  stared  them  in  the  face,  have  either  committed 
suicide,  or  else,  bidding  a long  farewell  to  peace  and  virtue,  have 
buried  themselves  for  life  in  the  hells  which  abound  in  every 
Bazaar  in  India  ! 

The  death  and  funeral  of  the  Hindoo  wife  is  a very  sad  topic. 
Those  final  'scenes  are  complete  contrasts  to  what  such  words 
express  under  Christianity.  In  our  civilization,  with  all  its  honor, 
and  love,  and  blessing  for  woman,  as  wife  and  mother,  what  tender 
thoughts  and  holy  memories  surround  a wife’s  or  a mother’s  grave ! 
It  is  far  different  in  the  Land  of  the  Veda. 

The  Hindoo  wife  and  mother  falls  sick.  Her  case  grows  worse, 
and  the  fear  fastens  upon  her  heart  that  she  is  dying.  She  must 


504 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


have  sad  anxieties  for  her  children  and  their  future,  knowing  well 
that  none  can  ever  be  to  them  what  she  has  been.  Coming  days 
of  desolation  lie  before  them.  For  her  husband’s  future  she  can 
have  little  concern,  as  she  knows  that  she  is  in  no  sense  essen- 
tial to  his  comfort. 

The  usual  means  are  tried  to  restore  her.  Superstition  and 
astrology  do  their  best  ; but  she  is  sinking.  Her  symptoms  are 
reported  to  the  Hukeem — the  native  doctor — and  at  last  he  pro- 
nounces that  hope  has  fled.  No  time  is  to  be  lost  now.  If  she  is 
too  far  from  the  Ganges  to  be  carried  there  before  the  vital  spark 
has  fled,  preparations  are  made  for  the  burning  of  the  body. 
Within  a few  hours  after  death  it  is  laid  upon  the  pyre  and  quickly 
consumed.  When  the  heap  is  cold,  a small  portion  of  the  ashes 
and  calcined  remains,  representing  the  rest,  are  taken  and  put  into 
an  earthen  vessel  to  be  carried  to  the  sacred  river ; and  the  rest  of 
the  remains  are  left  there  to  be,  as  I have  so  often  seen  them, 
tossed  about  by  the  hogs  and  pariah  dogs,  or  scattered  by  the 
winds  of  heaven. 

But,  should  the  Ganges  not  be  more  than  a few  miles  away, 
instead  of  being  kept  to  be  burned  at  home,  the  dying  wife  and 
mother  is  laid  on  a charpoy  — the  light  native  bedstead  — and 
raised  on  the  shoulders  of  four  bearers.  She  leaves  her  home 
forever,  unattended,  however,  by  her  husband  ; her  eldest  son 
instead  goes  with  her,  and  they  hurry  her  by  the  shortest  route 
across  the  country  to  the  sacred  river.  She  is  dying  ; the  sun 
blazes  upon  her  with  its  fierce  rays,  often  as  high  as  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-eight  degrees,  and  she  is,  of  course,  jolted  and 
shaken  by  the  runners  ; but  they  must  go  on,  and  she  must 
bear  it  all.  At  length  the  river  is  reached  — those  banks 
where  all  Hindoos  so  much  desire  to  die — and  now  they  lift  her 
off,  and  lay  her  on  her  back  on  the  brink,  with  her  feet  in  “ the 
sacred  waters,”  and  the  bearers  depart,  for  no  restoration  is  ever 
anticipated  ; none  there  grow  better  and  return.  They  think  that 
it  would  be  fitting  in  such  a case  to  prevent  it.  So  the  son  takes 
his  station  by  the  dying  mother,  and  every  few  minutes  he  wets 


WOMAN'S  LAST  IlOUIiS  IN  INDIA.  505 

her  tongue  with  the  sacred  water,  or  puts  the  mud  of  the  Ganges 
on  her  lips. 

The  sun  sinks  low  in  the  heavens  ; the  shades  of  night  com- 
mence to  fall,  and  the  place  begins  to  look  very  dreary,  for  the 
wolves  and  jackals  which  abound  will  come  there  to  drink  when  it 
is  dark  ; and  the  son,  it  may  be  a mere  youth,  timid  and  supersti- 
tious, thinks  his  mother  is  a long  time  dying.  But  he  cannot 
immerse  her  till  the  heart  ceases  to  beat ; so  he  watches  on,  and 
wets  her  lips  again.  And  there  they  are,  alone,  far  from  house  or 
friends,  in  “ the  valley  and  shadow  of  death  ” together.  At  length 
the  last  gasp  is  over,  and  his  final  duty  is  ready.  He  goes  outside 
into  the  water,  and,  taking  her  by  the  heels,  draws  her  down  into 
the  river,  and  floats  her  out  till  the  water  is  above  his  own 
breast,  and  then  with  a final  push  he  sends  her  from  him  as 
far  as  he  can  into  the  river,  and  turns  to  the  shore  and  makes 
his  way  home  as  fast  as  possible.  She  is  left  to  her  fate,  no  more 
to  be  thought  of  or  protected.  To  her  son,  who  thus  deserts  her 
— to  her  husband,  who  left  her  to  die  without  his  presence — it  is 
nothing  that  the  body  of  the  mother  and  wife  is  rolling  along  with 
the  current  in  the  darkness,  and  that,  most  probably,  within  a few 
hours,  and  within  a few  miles  of  her  dwelling,  it  will  strand. upon  a 
sand-bar,  and  be  discovered  by  the  vultures,  who,  with  the  jackals, 
will  fiercely  contend  together  during  the  night  as  they  feast  upon 
it,  or  that  the  sun  of  the  next  day  will  shine  on  the  gory  and 
naked  skeleton  of  the  wife  and  the  mother  to  whom,  by  their 
gloomy  religion,  even  the  rest  of  the  grave  is  thus  denied ! 


506 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


CHAPTER  X. 

OUR  CHRISTIAN  ORPHANAGES  IN  ROHILCUND. 

' I "HE  preceding  facts  and  doctrines  will  lead  to  an  appreciation 
of  the  efforts  made  by  the  mission  to  educate  and  train 
some  of  the  youth  of  India,  so  that  we  could  present  before  the 
heathen  the  examples  of  Christian  manhood  and  womanhood,  and 
also  have  native  helpers  of  both  sexes  on  whose  intelligence  we 
could  more  fully  rely  than  we  could  upon  our  adult  converts.  Our 
Boys’  Orphanage  was  originated  by  the  suggestion  and  liberality  of 
the  devoted  Englishman  mentioned  on  page  436.  We  present  a 
woodcut  of  the  present  building,  close  to  the  city  of  Shahjehanpore. 

In  this  institution  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  boys  are  now  re- 
ceiving a good  Christian  education,  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Johnson,  whose  devotion  and  ability,  by  God’s  blessing,  have 
made  that  school  the  power  for  good  which  it  is  fast  becoming. 

The  origin  of  this  noble  charity  may  be  briefly  given  here,  as  it 
is  one  of  the  results  of  the  Great  Sepoy  Rebellion,  and  intimately 
connected  with  the  facts  which  have  been  stated. 

The  wages  of  a laboring  man  in  India  is  two  annas  per  day — the 
anna  is  three  cents — so  that  millions  of  men  in  that  land  toil  all 
day  for  six  cents,  and  are  grateful  if  they  can  only,  even  at  that 
rate,  obtain  regular  employment.  This  is  their  whole  compensa- 
tion, for  they  find  themselves — as  they  would  not,  on  account  of 
their  caste  prejudices,  touch  our  food — so  the  six  cents  have  to  pay 
rent,  and  clothe  and  feed  them  and  their  families ! Of  course, 
they  could  not  live  at  all  if  their  habits  were  not  very  simple, 
and  the  means  of  life  very  cheap.  They  eat  only  twice  a day,  rice 
and  coarse  flour,  alternated,  being  their  chief  food,  with  a season- 
ing of  curry  ; and  they  drink  only  water. 

The  result  is,  that  these  millions  of  toiling  men  are  always  on 
the  very  verge  of  want,  living  “ from  hand  to  mouth.”  Occasion- 


Boys'  Orphanage,  School  House,  and  Chapel,  at  Lodipore,  India.— From  a Photograph 


■ 


. 


CAUSE  OF  FAMINES. 


509 


ally,  two  or  three  times  in  a score  of  years,  there  will  occur  a 
deficient  rain-fall.  This  involves  a scanty  harvest  and  a pressure 
on  the  labor  market,  under  which  thousands  are  thrown  out  of 
employment  for  a period  more  or  less  protracted.  They  cannot  be 
“ forehanded,”  by  savings  from  six  cents  a day,  to  meet  these  dread- 
ful emergencies,  and  the  result  is,  if  relief  does  not  soon  come, 
hundreds  of  them  are  liable  to  starve  to  death. 

One  of  these  fearful  experiences  occurred  in  Rohilcund  during 
the  year  i860.  So  decided  and  quick  was  the  calamity,  that  be- 
fore the  English  Government  ascertained  its  extent,  and  could 
originate  public  works  to  arrest  its  severity,  large  numbers  of  the 
people  had  died  of  want.  The  poor  children  were  the  last  to  suc- 
cumb, for  nature  would  lead  the  dying  father  or  mother,  heathen 
though  they  were,  to  give  the  final  morsel  to  the  child  or  children, 
in  hope  of  saving  them.  The  Government  hurried  on  the  meas- 
ures of  relief,  and  also  sent  around  its  police  to  give  immediate 
succor  to  the  living  and  to  bury  the  dead. 

From  wretched  homes,  where  a father  or  a mother,  or  both,  lay 
dead,  the  surviving  children  were  carried  out  and  collected  to- 
gether. The  orphan  boys  were  assembled  in  one  town,  and  the 
girls  in  another.  There  were  hundreds  of  each.  The  Govern- 
ment could  extend  only  temporary  relief,  and  what  was  to  be  the 
fate  of  the  rescued  children  became  a painful  consideration.  The 
pressure  was  too  great  for  friends  of  the  dead  to  come  forward  and 
receive  the  bereaved  and  destitute,  and  the  poor  children  thus  lay 
between  hope  and  despair.  No  Mohammedan  or  Hindoo  hand 
was  extended  to  save  them.  There  was,  however,  one  class  of 
persons  who  were  ready  to  receive  a number  of  the  elder  and  most 
likely  girls,  but  they  knew  well  that  their  proposal  would  be  met 
with  indignation  by  the  English  magistrates,  and  that  they  durst 
not  make  it.  They  had  to  deal  with  men  who  understood  that 
there  was  something  worse  for  a girl  than  even  starvation  and 
death.  So  the  government  waited,  day  after  day,  in  hope  that 
relief  for  these  orphans  would  arise  from  some  quarter. 

Amid  this  fearful  state  of  things,  where  Christian  philanthropy 


5io 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


was  so  much  called  for,  the  idea  came  to  us  that  this  emergency 
might  be  turned  to  good  account,  by  our  Mission  seizing  on  the 
opportunity  then  presented,  not  only  to  save  those  ready  to  perish, 
but  also  to  do  a great  work  for  the  women  of  India  and  for  Chris- 
tianity, by  taking  up  a number  of  these  destitute  children,  particu- 
larly the  girls,  and  training  them  for  Christ  and  for  usefulness. 

We  took  the  case  to  God,  and  laid  it  all  before  him.  The  more 
we  prayed  and  thought  over  it,  the  more  intense  our  zeal  in  the 
project, became,  till  at  length  we  could  think  of  nothing  else  but 
those  wretched  children,  and  the  way  to  save  them,  and  what  we 
might  make  of  them  in  a few  years  by  good  care,  and  education, 
and  Christianizing — and  how  much  they  would  be  to  us  in  return 
as  Christian  women,  Christian  wives  and  mothers,  meeting  fully  all 
this  special  want  of  our  new  Mission,  and  opening  up  in  the  future 
just  such  an  agency  as  we  required  to  reach  the  women  of  India. 

The  importance,  also,  of  having  a number  of  boys  of  our  own, 
whom  we  could  train  up  for  God  as  Christian  lads,  free  from  the 
contamination  of  Hindoo  homes,  also  commended  itself  to  our  best 
judgment  and  feelings  as  every  way  desirable.  Yet  still  the  girls 
seemed  beyond  all  measure  the  more  important  proposition.  But 
as  the  subject  was  considered  and  prayed  over,  it  seemed  essential 
that  we  should  have  both,  and  both  in  good  numbers.  So  “a  score” 
of  each  was  given  up,  as  far  below  the  opportunity  and  the  needs 
of  our  work,  and  at  length  our  heart  set  its  hopes  upon  the  pro- 
posal of  taking  as  many  as  would  raise  our  number  to  one  hundred 
boys  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  girls.  It  was  a bold  adventure  to 
propose.  We  had  no  means  in  hand  to  provide  for  them  ; no  shel- 
ter or  support.  But  our  feelings  and  judgment  clung  to  the  con- 
viction that  it  was  right  and  necessary  to  do  this  thing  ; and  that 
the  good  of  our  Mission  and  the  glory  of  God  would  be  promoted 
by  it ; and  that,  somehow  or  other,  the  Lord  and  his  Church  would 
find  the  means  to  do  it,  and  would  sustain  our  effort,  while  the 
good  results  would  justify  it  in  the  years  to  come. 

Accordingly,  the  project  was  presented  to  the  Mission.  As  was 
to  be  expected,  the  proposal,  especially  in  its  extent,  awakened  fear 


ORIGIN  OF  OUR  ORPHANAGES. 


51 1 

that  it  could  not  be  done — that  it  would  bankrupt  the  Mission  to 
attempt  it.  To  the  inquiry,  “ brother  Butler,  how  arc  you  going 
to  sustain  them  ? how  will  you  feed,  or  clothe,  or  shelter,  or  edu- 
cate them?”  I could  only  answer  in  faith,  “I  cannot  tell,  but  I 
believe  the  Lord  will  provide.”  The  ladies  soon  heartily  sym- 
pathized with  the  proposition,  and  encouraged  me  to  go  on  and 
trust  God,  and  erelong  we 'were  all  united  in  the  great  and  good 
enterprise. 

I wrote  to  the  Government  ; they  were  only  too  glad  to  consent, 
and  have  the  children  taken  off  their  hands.  We  might  have  as 
many  of  each  sex  as  we  desired.  English  magistrates,  in  whose 
hands  they  were,  were  communicated  with,  and  directed  to  make 
them  over  to  us. 

On  going  to  Moradabad  to  receive  our  children,  we  found  that 
the  Mohammedan  wretches  connected  with  the  magistrates’  court, 
at  whose  disposal  they  had  been  placed,  had  actually  distributed 
many  of  them  in  the  houses  of  infamy  in  the  city,  to  be  brought  up 
to  a life  of  sin  and  shame!  With  an  earnestness  befitting  the  occa- 
sion, I placed  the  facts  at  once  before  the  Governor,  who  acted  with 
noble  promptness,  and  the  children  were  ordered  to  be  immediately 
recovered  and  forwarded  to  us.  The  enemies  of  their  souls  and 
bodies  were  defeated,  and  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  rescuing  them 
from  hands  whose  “ tender  mercies  were  cruel,”  and  fulfilling  in 
their  case  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  divine  Word,  “Of  some  have 
compassion,  making  a difference : and  others  save  with  fear,  pull- 
ing them  out  of  the  fire  ; hating  even  the  garment  spotted  by  the 
flesh.”  Poor  girls ! what  a different  fate  did  Christianity  confer 
upon  them,  instead  of  the  “ deep  damnation  ” of  soul  and  body  to 
which  that  vile  and  cruel  Mohammedanism  would  have  surely  con- 
signed them 'for  time  and  eternity!  They,  and  their  children,  and 
children’s  children,  will  certainly  remember  with  adoring  gratitude 
to  God,  and  thankfulness  to  his  people,  the  great  salvation  which 
was  wrought  out  for  them.  I bless  God,  and  shall  always  do  so, 
for  the  part  we  took  in  their  rescue. 

They  were  sent  on  to  us  to  Bareilly  in  native  hackeries,  fifteen 


512 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


or  twenty  of  them  to  the  load,  drawn  by  four  bullocks  each,  and 
were  laid  down  at  our  door.  I have  four  large  photographs  of 
these  children  as  they  now  appear — every  face  of  the  one  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  girls  is  there ; and  after  twelve  years’  care  and 
training  what  a contrast  do  they  present ! If  I only  had  photo- 
graphs of  them  as  they  were  when  laid  down  before  us  in  i860,  in 
all  their  weakness  and  forlorn  condition,  so  naked,  filthy,  and  igno- 
rant, what  an  eloquent  sermon  those  pictures  would  silently  preach, 
as  they  so  wonderfully  exhibited  what  Christian  mercy  and  Chris- 
tian education  and  grace  could  do,  even  for  the  poor  wretched 
female  orphans  of  an  India  famine ! Can  it  be  that  these  fine, 
healthy,  hearty,  educated  girls  in  these  graduating  classes,  year  by 
year,  so  bright  with  intelligence  and  sanctified  by  the  grace  of 
God,  were,  only  twelve  years  ago,  just  like  the  rest  of  the  sad  group 
in  squalor  and  helplessness?  Yes,  it  is  so,  and  to  the  holy 
Trinity  be  the  glory  of  the  blessed  change  that  has  thus  trans- 
formed them ! 

They  were  sent  to  us  of  all  ages,  from  twelve  or  thirteen  years 
down  to  the  babe  of  three  months,  for  whom  we  had  to  provide  a 
nurse.  Most  of  them  were  weak  and  emaciated,  and  a few  of  them 
dying,  whom  no  care  could  save,  so  that  we  lost,  out  of  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  about  fifteen,  who  were  too  much  reduced  in 
strength  and  vitality  to  be  saved. 

What  the  Boys’  Orphanage  has  become  after  twelve  years  may 
be  best  intimated  by  the  picture,  which  presents  Dr.  Johnson  and 
his  theological  class  of  thirteen  young  men.  Educated  and  con- 
verted, they  have  been  for  some  time  seeking  a higher  preparation 
for  the  Christian  ministry  among  their  countrymen. 

I have  already  mentioned  the  case  of  Maria,  the  first  native  of 
India  who  joined  our  Church  in  Bareilly,  and  who  became  one  of 
the  martyrs  of  Jesus  at  noon  on  the  31st  of  May,  1857.  She  dearly 
loved  our  means  of  grace,  and  particularly  the  class-meeting,  where, 
with  artless  simplicity,  she  would  tell  how  the  Lord  led  her  to  hate 
sin  and  love  holiness,  and  how  sweetly  her  soul  rested  in  Ch  'st  as 
her  perfect  Saviour.  Her  father  was  a Eurasian,  and  she  spoke  the 


ical  Class  in  India.  — From  a Photograph. 


MARIA'S  HOPE  FOR  THE  FUTURE. 


515 


English  language  well.  She  had  an  unbounded  zeal  to  do  good, 
and  an  ardent  hope  for  the -elevation  of  her  sex  in  India,  though 
she  knew  their  deep  degradation  far  better  than  we  did.  But  it 
was  then  a dark  day  in  Bareilly. 

Maria  had  been  led  to  Christ  while  on  a visit  to  Calcutta,  through 
the  instrumentality  of  the  Baptist  missionaries  there.  Thus,  the 
first  Church  Member  of  American  Methodism  in  India  was  con- 
tributed by  the  English  Baptists,  while  American  Presbyterianism 
donated  the  first  Native  Preacher  to  lay  the  foundation  of  our  work 
in  that  land.  No  opening  then  appeared,  even  to  her,  by  which 
we  could  reach  and  enlighten  the  daughters  of  India.  Every  door 
seemed  shut,  and  we  could  not  obtain  a single  female  scholar  to 
instruct  or  save.  But  Maria  believed  that  the  morning  light  would 
break  soon,  and  a better  day  would  dawn  upon  her  country,  and 
that  it  was  near  at  hand.  We  would  sit  and  converse  with  her, 
and  then,  with  our  hearts  full  of  mingled  hope  and  anxiety,  would 
kneel  down  and  implore  God  Almighty  to  come  to  our  aid,  and 
open  a door  of  faith  to  those  millions  of  souls  so  closely  shut  up. 
Prayer  would  give  us  renewed  confidence,  and  help  us  to  hang  upon 
the  naked  promise  of  our  God,  while  we  struggled  hard  to  answer 
the  anxiety  of  our  hearts  as  they  would  exclaim,  “ Watchman,  what 
of  the  night  ? ” 

This  precious  girl,  who,  of  all  her  race  and  sex  in  Bareilly,  alone 
loved  us  for  the  Gospel’s  sake,  seemed  raised  up  to  encourage  and 
aid  us  in  our  new  mission.  She  was  likely  to  become  as  faithful  a 
helper  to  my  wife  as  “Joel”  was  to  me.  But  the  fearful  Rebellion 
broke  over  the  land,  and  Sepoy  bigotry  aimed  to  extinguish  every 
vestige  of  Gospel  light  in  India.  Maria  became  a martyr  for  Chris- 
tianity. Her  blood  baptized  the  soil  of  Bareilly  and  made  it  sacred 
forever  for  bur  mission  and  for  Christ.  And  there,  on  the  very 
spot  where  she  fell,  has  sprung  up  a harvest  of  good  for  the  daugh- 
ters of  India  of  the  realization  of  which  we  had  but  feeble  hope 
in  those  dark  days  before  the  Mutiny. 

This  wood-cut  of  the  Mission-House  and  Orphanage  at  Bareilly 

represents  the  first  spot  in  India  where  the  denominational  stand- 

29 


516 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


ard  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  planted,  in  1857,  and 
from  which  the  founder  of  the  mission,  with  his  wife  and  children, 
had  to  fly  for  their  lives  in  May  of  that  year.  On  the  very  ground 
now  occupied  by  the  house  to  the  left  stood  the  home  of  “ Maria.” 
The  site  of  our  mission  is  on  the  edge  of  Bareilly,  a city  of  one 
hundred  and  twelve  thousand  souls,  hid  in  the  trees  of  the  picture. 
The  Mission-House,  where  Brother  and  Sister  Thomas  and  Miss 
Swain  reside,  is  the  tiled  building  to  the  left.  Just  over  it  is  seen 
the  top  of  the  Orphanage,  which  is  a square  inclosure ; in  the  fore- 
ground is  the  school-house,  with  its  bell-tower ; and  in  front  of  the 
school-house  is  the  public  road  into  the  city. 

I feel  assured,  with  these  reminiscences  before  my  mind,  that, 
were  Maria  alive  to-day  to  read  this  account  of  what  God  has 
wrought  for  her  sex  in  Bareilly  since  the  31st  of  May,  1857,  and 
that,  too,  on  the  very  ground  occupied  by  her  own  homestead,  her 
simple,  gentle  heart  would  thrill  with  a joy  and  gratitude  for  the 
priceless  victories  won  for  woman  and  Christianity  in  Rohilcund 
more  intense  and  appreciative  than  can  be  bestowed  upon  these 
pages  even  by  those  who  in  this  land  may  read  them  with  the 
deepest  interest.  The  reason  is  manifest.  She  knew  the  diffi- 
culties to  be  overcome,  and  the  darkness  to  be  illuminated,  as  none 
here  can  ever  know  it,  and  as  even  our  missionaries  to-day  in 
India,  who  have  “ entered  into  our  labors,”  cannot  adequately  real- 
ize amid  their  more  hopeful  opportunities  and  wider  doors  of  use- 
fulness. We  were  then  in  the  valley  of  vision  ; around  us  were 
the  moral  skeletons,  “ very  many  and  very  dry  ” — no  life  nor  sign 
of  life — and,  in  our  sadness  and  struggling  hope  in  “ Him  that 
raises  the  dead,  and  calls  the  things  that  are  not  as  though  they 
were,”  the  Divine  Master  was  challenging  our  faith  in  his  power: 
“ Son  of  man,  can  these  dry  bones  live  ? ” All  that  we  could 
answer  was,  “ O Lord  God,  thou  knowest ! ” 

But  a change  has  come,  and  by  means  which  we  then  little  antic- 
ipated. In  that  valley  of  the  Ramgunga  Maria  died  for  Jesus,  and 
the  raging  heathen,  as  they  exulted  over  her  lifeless  body,  con- 
cluded that  they  had  killed  the  last  woman  of  their  race  who  would 


The  M ission  House  and  Orphanage  at  Bareilly. — From  a Photograph 


THE  NEED  THE  Oil PII ANA  GE  MET.  5 1 9 

ever  become  a Christian — that  with  her  life  would  expire  the  only 
hope  of  reaching  and  ameliorating  the  lot  of  her  sex  in  Rohilcund. 
How  little  they  knew  that  Jesus  is  Jehovah  ! Nor  did  they  imag- 
ine how  soon  He  would  dash  to  pieces,  like  a potter’s  vessel,  the 
despotism  which  they  built  up  that  day  upon  the  ruins  of  his  cause. 
How  nnch  less  did  they  anticipate  that,  on  the  very  spot  where 
they  murdered  his  faithful  handmaid,  he  would  found  an  institution 
to  be  a Christian  home  for  their  own  daughters,  taken  from  their 
side  when  famine  had  laid  them  low  in  death,  and  that  thus  lie 
would  answer,  in  judgment  to  them  and  in  mercy  to  their  innocent 
offspring,  their  rage  against  him,  and  their  diabolical  efforts  to  over- 
throw his  holy  cause  and  to  bind  permanently  the  fetters  of  dark- 
ness upon  the  women  of  India  ! “ Just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou 

King  of  saints  ! ” 

There  stands  that  Orphanage  to-day,  one  of  the  brightest  hopes 
that  shines  for  woman  in  the  East ; and  of  it  may  be  said,  that  the 
little  one  has  become  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  the  solitary  female 
worshiper  an  exultant  congregation  of  bright,  happy  girls,  with  a 
future  of  Christian  usefulness  before  each  and  all  of  them.  Truly, 
“ Thou  makest  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  thee,  and  the  remainder 
of  wrath  wilt  thou  restrain.” 

Our  early  congregations  in  India,  from  1857  to  1861,  had,  in  one 
sense,  a melancholy  aspect.  There  would  be  from  ten  to  forty 
men,  chiefly  young  men,  on  one  side  of  the  room,  offset  by  perhaps 
one  woman  or  two,  the  wives  of  our  native  helpers,  on  the  other 
side.  No  Christian  families,  no  social  aspect  in  our  services. 
It  was  all  a one-sided,  unnatural-looking  affair,  with  a certain 
monkish  appearance  that  seemed  dejected  and  forlorn.  Woman 
was  not  there.  The  great  want  was  felt  deeply  by  the  missionary 
as  he  rose  to  conduct  the  services.  Nor  was  there  then  any  way, 
or  hope  even,  by  which  this  dreary  aspect  could  be  relieved  by 
female  presence.  We  felt  it  the  more  because  in  India  every 
young  man  looks  forward  to  marriage  as  a duty  as  well  as  privilege. 
These  young  men,  as  they  became  attached  to  our  congregations 
and  converted  to  our  faith,  were  met  at  the  threshold  by  the 


520 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


forbidding  and  manifest  fact  that  to  all  the  other  disadvantages  of 
their  position  as  Christians  was  added  the  consideration  that  only 
a life  of  celibacy  remained  to  them.  They  could  not  return  to 
heathenism  for  wives,  for  their  friends  would  not  give  them  ; and, 
even  if  they  did,  our  Discipline  might  put  them  out  of  the  Church 
for  marrying  unconverted  women  ; while,  on  the  other  hand,  we  had 
no  Christian  families  from  which  they  could  be  supplied.  Such 
were  their  circumstances  and  the  cheerless  future  that  lay  before 
them.  I used  to  lie  awake  at  night  and  groan  over  this  aspect  of 
our  work,  while  the  way  to  reach  the  minds  of  the  women  of  the 
land,  for  want  of  a female  agency,  seemed  as  dark  as  did  the  pros- 
pects of  our  converted  young  men  in  reference  to  marriage. 

These  disabilities  hemmed  us  in  on  every  side,  and  made  the 
progress  and  the  future  of  our  mission  uncertain  and  doubtful.  It 
was  very  discouraging.  A Christianity  without  homes,  or  female 
schools,  or  daughters,  without  wives  for  our  native  teachers  or 
preachers,  without  female  worshipers  in  otlr  congregations,  wanted 
the  first  elements  of  perpetuity  and  completeness. 

Every  effort  was  made  by  our  missionary  ladies  to  obtain  even 
day  scholars  from  among  the  people,  but  such  was  then  their  bitter 
prejudice  against  educating  girls  that  they  generally  treated  the 
proposal  with  scorn.  The  ladies  of  our  Bareilly  mission  made  a 
vigorous  effort  in  that  city  to  obtain  even  a few  scholars.  They 
went  from  house  to  house,  hired  a suitable  place  in  which  to  hold 
a school,  bought  mats  and  necessary  equipments,  offered  even  to 
pay  the  girls  some  compensation  for  the  time  expended  if  they 
would  only  attend  ; but  at  the  end  of  three  months  they  had  only 
succeeded  in  inducing  two  children  to  come,  and  one  of  these  was 
unreliable.  At  length,  tired  out,  they  had  to  abandon  the  effort  as 
hopeless,  until  some  change  would  come  over  the  minds  of  the 
people  in  favor  of  female  education. 

I well  remember  what  joy  there  was  in  November,  1858,  when 
Providence  put  into  our  hands  the  first  female  orphan  we  ever 
received.  She  was  a poor,  weak  little  creature,  was  blind  of  an 
eye,  and  plain-featured — certainly  no  beauty  ; but  she  was  a girl , 


THE  ORPIFANA GE  ANSWERS  ALL  OUR  EXPECTATIONS.  52 1 

and  she  was  all  our  own  to  rear  for  Jesus  and  his  Church — one  of 
India’s  daughters.  We  rejoiced  over  her,  and  felt  that  she  was  a 
precious  charge  for  India’s  sake.  Dear,  sainted  Mrs.  Pierce  cher- 
ished her  with  a mother’s  love.  She  was  baptized  Almira  Blake. 
After  a while  we  obtained  three  or  four  more,  but  we  were  still 
pained  to  think  how  inadequate  were  these  few  to  meet  the  great 
want  of  our  extending  mission.  The  opportunity  of  Divine  mercy 
was,  however,  nearer  than  we  then  knew.  God  was  about  to  meet 
our  requirements,  and  thus  lay  the  foundations  of  greater  and 
wider  usefulness  for  our  mission  than  we  were  anticipating. 

The  kind  ladies  of  our  mission  took  this  wretched  group  of  girls 
in  charge,  and  they  were  washed  and  clothed,  and  cared  for  and 
fed.  Educational  advantages  were  soon  provided.  Responses 
came  pouring  in  from  schools  and  individuals  in  America,  pledging 
support  for  one  or  two,  and  sending  a favorite  name  to  be  put 
upon  their  protege  at  their  baptism.  Individuals  in  India  also,  and 
the  Government  itself,  came  to  our  help,  and  soon  a comfortable 
orphanage  and  a school-house — shown  in  the  picture  to  the  right, 
with  its  tower  and  bell  — and  all  necessary  conveniences,  were 
erected.  To  these  have  been  added  library,  apparatus,  pleasant 
grounds,  and  other  requisites,  until  the  establishment  is  acknowl- 
edged by  all  who  see  it,  and  by  Sir  William  Muir,  the  Governor, 
who  lately  visited  it,  to  be  one  of  the  best-arranged  institutions  in 
India,  and  an  honor  to  the  American  Methodist  Church.  It  is 
also  a credit  to  the  interest  and  diligence  of  Brother  and  Sister 
Thomas,  who,  in  their  long  and  devoted  connection  with  it,  have, 
under  God’s  blessing,  made  it  what  it  is  to-day. 

The  Lord  has  graciously  laid  the  claims  of  the  Female  Orphan- 
age upon  the  hearts  of  our  ladies.  It  is  now  under  the  special 
charge  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  as  a part  of  their  work  for  women  in  India. 

It  is  a beautiful  sight  to  see  the  orphan  girls  on  the  Sabbath  of 
God,  in  His  house,  so  neat,  and  attentive,  and  devotional,  and  to 
hear  them  sing  the  praises  of  Him  to  whose  mercy  they  owe  so 
much,  and  then  all  bow  down  to  worship  in  the  true  Biblical  and 


522 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Oriental  fashion.  Their  prayer-meetings  and  class-meetings  are 
times  of  real  interest,  and  in  listening  to  them  you  realize  that 
many  of  them  are  truly  taught  of  God. 

The  number  of  female  orphans  is  now  nearly  one  hundred  and 
fifty,  about  twenty  having  been  added  during  the  past  year.  The 
good  fruits  of  the  institution  have  so  won  the  confidence  of  all  who 
are  acquainted  with  it  that  it  has  conquered  prejudice  and  concili- 
ated the  interest  and  good-will  of  many  even  of  the  native  nobility 
as  well  as  the  English  magistrates,  from  whom  the  institution 
every  year  receives  additional  destitute  orphans  to  be  adopted  into 
this  Christian  home  and  family,  and  trained  freely  upon  our  own 
principles. 

From  six  to  nine  girls  finish  their  studies  and  graduate  each 
year.  I here  present,  from  a photograph,  the  last  class  that  gradu- 
ated, from  which  the  reader  will  have  a correct  idea  of  their  per- 
sons, style  of  dress,  etc. 

The  girl  on  the  left  hand,  standing  up,  is  Julia  Pybah,  the  mid- 
dle one  Mary  Cocker,  and  the  right  hand  one  is  Elizabeth  Husk. 
The  first  one  sitting,  left  hand  side,  is  Clementina  Butler  ; the 
next,  Rebecca  Pettis  ; the  next  to  her  is  Josephine,  and  the  fourth 
is  Grace  Anable. 

During  a revival  of  religion,  with  which  God  was  pleased  re- 
cently to  visit  the  Orphanage,  over  forty  of  these  girls  were  soundly 
converted. 

Thus  God  has  justified  our  confidence  when  we  first  took  these 
girls  to  train  them  up  for  him  ; all  our  hopes  have  been  fulfilled. 
They  have  done  well  intellectually  and  religiously.  More  than 
twenty-five  of  them  have  already  been  married  to  our  native 
preachers,  teachers,  and  converts,  and  are  now  happy  wives  and 
mothers  in  their  own  homes,  exhibiting  before  their  heathen  sisters 
what  a Christian  wife  and  mother  is.  Others  of  them  have  become 
efficient  teachers  and  helpers  in  the  work  of  visiting  and  instruct- 
ing their  countrywomen,  as  the  columns  of  the  “ Heathen  Wom- 
an’s Friend  ” show.  Probably  the  highest  work  which  God  had  in 
view  for  these  girls  is  that  now  in  progress  under  the  training  of 


Graduating  Class. — From  a'  Photograph. 


ITS  FUTURE  MOST  HOPEFUL. 


525 

* 

M iss  Swain,  M.  D.,  who  has  a large  class  of  the  elder  girls  under 
instruction  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  medicine,  to  fit  them  to 
go  into  the  houses  of  the  suffering  ones  around  them  as  medical 
Bible  women,  healing  the  sick  while  they  preach  the  Gospel.  I 
thank  the  Lord  most  heartily  for  this  additional  use  to  which  a 
good  and  merciful  God  has  destined  our  Girls’  Orphanage  in 
Bareilly.  No  words  can  be  too  ardent  to  express  the  importance 
of  such  an  agency  ; and  as  to  the  view  which  is  taken  of  its  value 
by  the  people  of  the  land,  it  is  enough  to  mention  the  fact  that  the 
Nawab  of  Rampore,  a Mohammedan  sovereign  in  the  vicinity,  who 
lately  visited  the  Orphanage,  was  so  pleased  with  Miss  Swain’s 
medical  class  and  its  object,  that  his  highness  expressed  himself 
highly  gratified,  and  asked  their  acceptance  of  a donation* of  a 
thousand  rupees  to  aid  their  work. 

The  Ladies’  Missionary  Society  of  our  Church  has  done  well  in 
taking  this  institution  under  its  charge.  It  has  elements  of  power, 
as  thus  directed,  the  value  of  which  cannot  be  over-estimated. 
They  will  generously  support  it  and  develop  its  ability  for  good  ; 
and  I doubt  not  it  will  justify  all  their  confidence  and  expectations 
in  its  future  history  and  success.  From  it  must  continually  go 
forth  influences  which  will  mitigate  the  prejudices  of  the  women 
of  India,  for  they  can  understand  the  disinterested  benevolence 
that  thus  seeks  their  own  relief  and  welfare  ; and  gratitude  must 
surely  incline  them  to  examine  into  the  truth  and  virtue  of  that 
religion  whose  mercy  and  good  fruits  will  be  so  manifest  in  the 
benigl  ted  and  suffering  homes  to  which  the  graduates  of  the 
Bareilly  Orphanage,  and  their  devoted  instructress,  will  bring  help 
and  healing  in  the  days  to  come. 

Earnest  may  be  the  prayers  and  strong  the  confidence  of  the 
ladies  of  "Methodism  in  the  Christ-like  agency  which  they  have 
thus  made  their  own,  and  which,  under  their  fostering  care,  will 
develop  into  a permanent  power  of  Christian  womanly  goodness 
for  long-neglected  heathen  women,  the  value  of  which  they  can 
never  fully  know  till  they  find  it  in  eternity,  when  they  stand  in 
the  glorious  presence  of  Him  who,  before  his  Father  and  the  holy 


526 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


angels,  will  remember  it  all,  and,  acknowledging  that  each  of  them 
“ hath  done  what  she  could  ” — to  the  body  as  to  the  soul,  after  his 
own  blessed  example — will  tell  it  then  “ as  a memorial  of  her.” 

The  organization  of  the  Missions  into  an  Annual  Conference,  at 
the  close  of  1864,  terminated  my  superintendency,  while  the  toil 
and  care  to  which  body  and  mind  were  subject  during  these 
scenes,  and  in  such  a climate,  were  so  exhausting,  that  release  from 
further  service  there  became  indispensable.  This  release  was 
kindly  granted  by  the  Bishop  and  the  Missionary  Board. 

The  progress  of  the  Indian  Church  to-day  is  an  encouraging 
contrast  to  the  weakness  and  obstructions  of  sixteen  years  ago. 
Already  some  of  our  native  Christian  brethren  are  rising  to  posi- 
tions of  grea<t  trust  and  responsibility  in  the  Church,  the  State, 
and  the  learned  professions.  We  name  but  a few  : — 

Krishna  Mohun  Banerjea,  Pundit  Nilakantha  Gore,  John  De- 
vasagyam,  and  Goloknath  Chattergi,  not  to  mention  others,  are 
among  the  ornaments  of  its  native  ministry.  Gunga  Ram  and 
Professor  Ramchunder,  show  what  Hindoos  can  become  as  cultured 
Christian  teachers,  as  does  Kalee  Mohun  Banerjea,  among  Univer- 
sity graduates.  The  Maharajah  Dhuleep  Singh,  its  first  royal 
convert,  illustrates  how  its  higher  classes  shall  bow  to  Christ,  and 
devote  their  influence  and  wealth  to  his  glory  ; while  Government 
officers,  like  Behari  Lai  Singh,  and  Deputy  Magistrates,  like  Tarini 
Churn  Mitter,  prove  how  worthily  public  positions  can  be  filled  by 
the  followers  of  that  faith  : and  their  descendants  shall  yet  occupy 
every  office  of  their  Government  in  the  glad  day  when  their 
Ganges  shall  flow  only  through  Christian  realms,  and  their  fertile 
lands  shall  be  cultured  by  a happy  Christian  population,  whose  re- 
deemed country,  no  longer  the  Land  of  the  Veda,  “shall  be 
called  by  a new  name  which  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  shall  name.” 


MISSIONARY  STATISTICS. 


527 


CHAPTER  XI. 

STATISTICAL  TABLES  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS. 

Table  No.  I.  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  India. 

“ II.  Missionary  Societies  operating  in  India  in 

1872. 

“ III.  Summarizing  the  Results,  and  showing  the 
Progress,  of  Christianity  in  British  India 
since  1852. 

“ IV.  Foreign  Missionary  Statistics  of  the  Prot- 
estant Church  throughout  the  World. 

“ V.  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Societies. 

“ VI.  Home  Missionary  Societies. 

“ VII.  Tract  Societies. 

“ VIII.  Bible  Societies. 

“ IX.  Roman  Catholic  Missions. 

“ X.  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic  Missions 


Compared. 


528 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


TABLE  I. 

MISSIONS  OF  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  INDIA. 

1872. 


MISSIONS. 


Bareilly . . . 
Lucknow . 
Moradabart 

Total... 


Four  male  and  five  female  missionaries  left  for  India  in  October  last;  these 
are  included  in  the  above  totals. 

There  are  541  members,  528  probationers,  735  non-communicant  adherents, 
(regular  attendants  on  worship,)  with  1,178  Sabbath-scholars,  and  the  86  native 
helpers,  making  a Christian  community  of  3,066  souls  under  the  charge  of  the 
India  Conference  in  Oude  and  Rohilcund,  all  won  for  Christ  since  the  Great 
Rebellion  closed. 

In  the  34  Sunday-schools  there  are  107  officers  and  teachers,  1,177  scholars, 
and  1,088  volumes  in  the  libraries  ; conversions  during  last  year,  56. 

In  the  45  Vernacular  Day-schools  for  boys  there  are  1,437  pupils ; in  the  25 
Anglo-Vernacular  Boys1  schools,  1,968  scholars ; in  the  46  Vernacular  Day-schools 
for  girls,  915  pupils;  in  the  Anglo-Vernacular  schools,  142  girls:  being  a total 
of  116  schools,  234  teachers,  and  4,462  scholars,  including  138  orphan  boys  and 
142  orphan  girls — the  entire  expense  of  which,  including  the  two  Orphanages, 
was  $29,423  for  the  past  year,  the  whole  of  which  was  contributed  by  friends 
in  India  and  the  Ladies’  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
with  the  American  patrons  of  the  orphan  children. 


Society  Agents. 


Arn’n 

Miss. 


_ * 

f 

7I 

6 6 


its 


1 12  20 
2 912 
8 10  IT 


19  6 31  49 


532 

200 

335 


11204 
2 TS 
8 115 


1,067  11  397 


693  ; 595  203 
30j  182  21 
12!  401 1 74 
735  1,178801 


EDUCATIONAL. 


Day  Teach- 
Sch’l. 


14  10 
2S27 
70  46 


Day 

Scholars. 


18  1,130,  511  1,641 
10  762  149  911 

15  1,692  407  2,099 


lS3r43  3,5S4  1,067  4,651 


o a- 

7 5 8 

8 3 8 
7 6 5 

17  1421 


$47,250 

18,600 

10,270 


$76,120 


TABLE  II. 

MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES  OPERATING  IN  INDIA  IN  1872. 


530 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


TABLE  III. 

COMPARATIVE  TABLE. 

SUMMARIZING  THE  RESULTS,  AND  SHOWING  THE  PROGRESS,  OF  CHRISTIANITY  IN  BRITISH 

INDIA  SINCE  1852. 


[Members  and  hearers,  or  regular  attendants  on  worship,  the  entire  staff  of  laborers,  with  the  regular 
Sabbath -school  scholars,  if  reckoned  together  as  native  Christians,  (had  all  been  reported,)  would  amount 
to  considerably  over  350,000  souls.  Four  of  the  Missionary  Societies  in  the  preceding  table,  especially 
the  Gospel  Propagation  Society,  supply  pastoral  care  to  English  Colonists.  I have  made  a correspond- 
ing deduction  for  this  in  the  statistics  of  those  societies,  to  show,  as  near  as  practicable,  the  number  of 
missionaries  to  the  unevangelized  only.  The  figures  given  are,  in  nearly  all  cases,  those  from  the  Reports 
of  1871.  The  reader  will  note  the  great  increase  in  those  items  which  intimate  the  progress  of  the  India 
Church  toward  self-reliance  and  development,  such  as  the  native  pastorate,  membership,  scholars  of  both 
sexes,  and  contributions.  The  Sunday-schools  are  numerous,  but  are  not  fully  reported.  The  increase 
in  that  particular  is  very  large.] 


Missions,  Etc. 

India  and 
Ceylon  in 
1S52. 

India  and 
Ceylon  in 
1862. 

India,  Ceylon, 
and  Burmah 
in  1862. 

India,  Ceylon, 
and  Burmah 
in  1872. 

Increase  dur- 
ing the  past 
ten  years. 

Missions 

22 

31 

31 

58 

27 

Stations 

313 

371 

386 

628 

242 

Oiit-statrions 

1,218 

1,925 

2,307 

Not  fully 

reported. 

Foreign  Missionaries,  Male . 

395 

519 

541 

551 

10 

“ “ Female. 

Not 

previously 

reported. 

317 

Native  Pastors 

48 

140 

183 

406 

223 

“ Catechists  & Preachers 

698 

1,365 

1,776 

2,784 

1,008 

School  Teachers  

Not 

fully 

reported. 

3,422 

Total  of  Laborers 

1,141 

2,024 

2,500 

7,480 

4,980 

Native  Churches 

331 

1,190 

1,542 

Not  fully 

reported. 

Communicants 

18,410 

31,249 

49,688 

70,857 

21,169 

Native  Christians 

112.491 

153,816 

213,182 

273,478 

60,296 

Vernacular  Day  Schools. . . 

1,347 

1.562 

1,811 

1,917 

106 

Scholars 

47,504 

44,612 

48,390 

67,080 

18,690 

Anglo- Vernacular  Schools. 

126 

185 

193 

245 

52 

Anglo -Vernacular  Scholars 

14,562 

23,377 

23,963 

32,242 

8,279 

Bovs’  Boarding  Schools. . . . 

93 

101 

108 

112 

4 

Christian  Boys 

2,414 

2,720 

3,158 

3,584 

426 

Total  of  Male  Scholars .... 

64,480 

70,709 

75,511 

102,906 

26.395 

Girls’  Day  Schools 

347 

371 

373 

552 

179 

Scholars 

11,519 

15.899 

'16,862 

30,961 

14,091 

Girls’  Boarding  Schools. . . . 

102 

114 

117 

Not  hilly 

reported. 

Christian  Girls 

2,779 

4,098 

4,201 

3,459 

Total  of  Female  Pupils.  . . . 

14.298 

19,997 

21,063 

34,420 

13,357 

Total  Scholars  of  both  Sexes 

78,778 

90,706 

96,574 

137,326 

40,752 

Number  of  Languages  used 

23 

25 

28 

3 

In  three  years. 

In  three  years. 

In  three  years. 

Last  year. 

Last  year. 

Local  Contributions 

$167,500 

$226,625 

$274,000 

$151,787 

$60,457 

Native  Contributions  

$65,000 

about  $90, 000 

$43,101 

$13,101 

TABLE  IV. 

FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  STATISTICS  OF  THE  PROTESTANT  CHURCH 
THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD. 

[Several  of  these  Societies  provide  ministrations  for  colonists  and  evangelized  people.  All  items  of 
this  kind  are  here  left  out,  so  far  as  they  could  be  recognized,  so  that  these  numerical  and  financial  sta- 
tistics represent  only  the  foreign  missionary  action  of  Protestantism  to  the  unevangelized  races  of  the 
world.  The  excluded  items  will  be  found  credited  under  the  head  of  Home  Missions  in  Table  VI.  The 
figures  arc  nearly  all  from  the  Reports  of  1871.  Where  the  return  failed  to  indicate  the  native  Christians, 
the  membership  is  entered  in  that  column.  If  the  Christian  children  in  boarding-schools  and  the  Sabbath 
scholars  had  been  reported,  not  less  than  200,00ft  might  huvo  been  added  to  the  native  Christian  Com- 
munity. In  order  to  secure  u complete  comparison  with  the  missions  of  liomanism,  (in  Table  X,) 
I have  included  in  the  statistics  of  the  American  Board  their  missions  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  recently 
set  off  as  self-supporting.  The  statistics  have  been  submitted,  as  far  as  possible,  to  the  Secretaries  of 
each  Society,  in  order  to  secure  reliable  and  authorized  representation.] 


K*- 
ti»b- 
liali'il 
A.  IX 

SOCIETIES. 

1'  OK 

Mis  mi 

Muir 

KIGN 

in’ikh. 

KemV 

Native 

PitHlors, 

Preach'*, 

Cutech’u. 

ToIhI  of 
Ukrisl’n 
Labor- 

Native 

Church 

Mem- 

ber*. 

Native 

Christian 

Commu- 

nity. 

Total  of 
Scholars 
of  both 
Sexes. 

Income  of 
the  Society 
in 

1811. 

AMERICAN  SOCIETIES. 

1S1U 

The  American  Board  

181 

189 

429 

739 

23,718 

77,091 

14,410 

$461,058 

1814  Baptist  Missionary  Union 

49 

(io 

865 

974 

26,480 

105.920 

7.397 

217,510 

lhiy  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

58 

58 

169 

275 

5,18*2 

15,500 

4.07S 

224,198 

1 8*2 T Protestant  Episcopal  Board 

28 

16 

29 

04 

796 

4,001 

1 .485 

112,887 

1 si2.Ui' -formed  Church 

17 

19 

46 

82 

1,128 

88,000 

2,841 

71,123 

1882 

Presbvterian  Uliurch 

129 

131 

171 

431 

3,799 

12.9(H) 

10,059 

878,803 

1888  Free-will  Baptist  

6 

7 

18 

81 

212 

630 

1.078 

11,389 

1837 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Missionary  Society 

5 

5 

3 

13 

80 

80 

855 

184*2 

Seventh-day  Baptist 

8 

8 

2 

a 

5 

8,458 

1645|Baptlst  Free  Missions 

4 

4 

8 

16 

2,4  i 6 

8,000 

2,673 

10^000 

1845  Southern  Baptist  Boat'd 

1*2 

y 

22 

43 

891 

391 

27,254 

1845  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. . . . 

2 

‘2 

■1 

8 

79 

70 

32 

1840  American  Missionary  Association 

10 

14 

5 

85 

550 

1,623 

829 

27,424 

1858  United  Brethren  C hurch 

2 

1 

8 

*4201 

..  {Southern  Presbvterian  Church 

in 

8 

9 

27 

27.296 

1850  United  Presbvterian  Church 

10 

17 

5 

8s 

351 

1,387 

2,ii8 

48,345 

Nova  Scotia  Presbyterian  Church 

5 

5 

19 

1,090 

1,009 

1,500 

0,000 

BRITISH  SOCIETIES. 

1701  (Gospel  Propagation  Society 

70 

50 

700 

S20 

S.497 

24,000 

8.019 

582,175 

1 7112 

Baptist  Missionary  Society 

68 

51 

2*21 

825 

0.491 

11.467 

4,551 

164,400 

179.V 

London  Missionary  Societv 

156 

156 

2,726 

2,998 

50.703 

889,900 

50.671 

536,760 

1&00  Church  of  England  Society 

298 

223 

1,845 

2,048 

18,700 

84,912 

36.718 

828,585 

lMO  Gencrnl  Baptist  Society 

5 

0 

is 

29 

563 

563 

1,528 

30,056 

1M7 

Wesleyan  Missionary  Societv 

543 

554 

1,97s 

3,975 

68.531 

250.17(1 

140,897 

445,000 

1824  Church  of  Scotland 

a 

ii 

« 

28 

218 

21 S 

2.800 

49,965 

1>40  Irish  Presbvterian  Church 

H 

8 

19 

189 

130 

1,300 

25,895 

1 840 1 Welsh  Calvinistie  Methodists 

4 

14 

Is 

211 

836 

714 

26,460 

1848lFree  Church  of  Scotland 

28 

15 

110 

153 

1,906 

3,542 

9,752 

181.317 

1>44  English  Presbvterian  Church 

12 

5 

41 

01 

1,099 

2,002 

800 

40,297 

1844  South  American  Missionarv  Society . . .. 

14 

... 

7 

21 

43,520 

IM7 

United  Presbvterian  C hurch 

40 

50 

34 

124 

5,749 

6,400 

6,903 

42,769 

lShS  Christiaii  Vernacular  Education  Society* 

5 

5 

4,650 

45,529 

1800  Moslem  Missionarv  Societv 

4 

5 

9 

Primitive  Metlnnlist  Society 

*2 

2 

4 

65 

410 

93 

11,739 

1800  United  Methodist  Free  Church 

89 

39 

io 

70 

5.044 

5,850 

1,241 

14,425 

Methodist  New  C onnection 

4 

4 

12 

29 

284 

284 

82 

19,975 

1S66| Assam  and  Cachar  Missionary  Society. . 

2 

2 

1 

5 

2,420 

China  Inland  Mission 

5 

19 

3 

18 

lio 

il9 

CONTINENTAL  SOCIETIES. 

173*2  Moravian  Missionarv  Society 

156 

149 

15 

329 

20,742 

69,123 

15,822 

107,005 

1787 

Netherland  Missionarv  Society 

20 

46 

66 

13,037 

40,000 

1816  Basle  Evangelical  Mission 

71 

62 

103 

236 

3.47S 

5,300 

8.218 

156, 46S 

18*2*2  Paris  Evangelical  Societv 

21 

19 

40 

1.368 

1,368 

900 

40,829 

18*28  B henish  Missionary  Societv 

56 

69 

21 

146 

4,650 

4,656 

3.752 

59,565 

lS88|Berlin  Missionarv  Society 

35 

9 

44 

1,S51 

4,434 

1.500 

49,459 

1888  Berlin  Evangelical  Mission 

10 

85 

101 

1,700 

15,000 

1,400 

22,500 

1830  Leipsie  Evangelical  Lutheran 

15 

58 

73 

9,290 

5,119 

1,684 

•19,500 

!S36iNorth  German 

11 

11 

42 

42 

94 

20,395 

lS42|Nor\vegian 

19 

30 

49 

114 

114 

150 

19,500 

1S50  Berlin  Union  for  China 

2 

2 

4 

8 

299 

200 

304 

3,000 

1S52  Herrmansburgh  Societv 

44 

44 

88 

37,735 

I860  Danish  Missionarv  Societv 

2 

5 

4 

11 

7,500 

Utrecht  Missionary  Societv 

10 

14 

24 

i 

4 

60 

19.500 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  ABOVE  TABLE. 


American  Societies 

490 

544 

1,7731  2,7971  65.3-9 

265,552 

47.S50  $1,633,891 

British  Societies  

1,197 

1,169 

7.747  9,910  168,328 

780,809 

270,414 

2,975,869 

Continental  Societies 

478 

365 

3661  1,217  46.445 

105,360 

41.925 

622.956 

Total  Foreign  Missions 

2.105 

2.078 

9.886!  13.924  280,662  1,151.721 

360,189 

$5,232,716 

* Issues  250  different  publications,  in  14  languages,  for  Christian  education. 


532 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


TABLE  V. 

WOMAN’S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES. 


These  Societies  are  all  of  recent  institution,  are  growing-  rapidly  in  ability  and  influence,  and  are,  no 
doubt,  destined  to  accomplish,  especially  on  the  Eastern  Hemisphere,  a glorious  work  for  Christianity, 
and  one  which  only  woman  can  do.  • 


EUROPEAN  SOCIETIES. 

Number 
of  Mis- 
sionary 

Number 
of  Native 
Helpers. 

Scholars 

Income. 

English  Church  Ladies’  Society  for  Female  Education  in  the  East. 
Ladies'  Society  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland 

30 

295 

15,000 

$19,845 

14.756 

Wesleyan  Ladies’  Com.  for  Female  Education  in  Foreign  Countries. 

7 

7.485 

Ladies’  Association  for  Female  Education  in  India  and  Africa 

6 

34 

2,595 

1 5.440 

Ladies’  Association  for  Improvement  of  Syrian  Women 

Ladies'  Association  for  Promoting  Education  in  the  West  Indies.. 
Zenana  Mission  in  India 

27,710 

3,155 

4,625 

Berlin  Woman's  Association  for  Christian  Education  of  Females 

in  the  East 

4 

53 

2,700 

China  Ladies’  Association 

4 

1 

49 

5,000 

AMERICAN  SOCIETIES. 

Woman’s  Union  Missionary  Society 

29 

100 

920 

44.S.I7 

Woman's  Board  ol  Missions  ot  Congregational  Church  

25 

80 

200 

24.459 

Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  M.  E.  Church 

9 

49 

684 

22.39S 

Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Presbyterian  Church . 

32 

"30 

i,io6 

15,000 

Total  14  European  and  American  Societies 

149 

539 

20,601 

*211, 850 

TABLE  VI. 

HOME  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES. 

This  Table  (the  summary  alone  of  which  is  all  that  we  can  take  room  for)  includes,  besides  destitute 
districts  in  nominally  Protestant  countries,  Missions  to  colored  populations,  French  Canadians,  Scandi- 
navians, Germans,  Swedes,  Danes,  Mexicans,  liomish  populations,  Indians,  Negroes  in  West  Indies, 
Jews,  Colonial  and  Continental  Missions,  etc.,  which  are  not  strictly  Foreign  Missions  to  Heathen  and 
Mohammedau  Countries,  so  far  as  we  could  obtain  their  statistics,  perhaps  not  more  than  two  thirds 
of  the  whole.  The  number  of  hearers,  or  attendants  on  worship,  is  not  given  with  the  exactness  with 
which  they  are  reported  in  the  Foreign  Missions,  but  I have  ventured  to  enter  in  a column,  under  the 
head  of  Attendants  on  Worship,  two  hearers  to  each  communicant,  (which  is  a very  low  average,) 
for  the  sake  of  comparison  of  results  in  Table  X. 


SOCIETIES. 

z 

Staff 

Ordained 
Missi  mi's. 

oP  La  BO  it 

Luy  nnd 
N at.i  ve 
Preachers. 

It  IIS. 

Total 

Preueb- 

Church 

Members. 

Attendants 

Worship. 

Scholars. 

Income. 

American  Societies 

11 

3,522 

2,140 

5,662 

257,208 

771,609 

96.988 

*i, 3Si.no 

British  Societies 

25 

3.424 

8,258 

11.672 

339,349 

1,018,047 

169,201 

954.992 

Total 

36 

6,946 

10,398 

17,834 

586,552 

1,789.656 

266. 1S9 

*2.336.102 

TABLE  VII. 

TRACT  SOCIETIES. 


SOCIETIES. 

Number 
Publicft’s 
on  Snci’8 

Lists. 

Publications 
Last  Year. 

Publications 
fr  m Com- 
mencement. 

Incomo  in 
1811. 

Number 
of  Lan 
irunges 
used 

American  Societies 

11 

4,807 

85,956,881 

2,190,887,000 

*768,124 

148 

British  Societies 

8 

4,925 

25,616.231 

15,4S3,000,000 

1,104,461 

:i9 

Continental  Societies 

7 

314 

1,577,196 

16,528,280 

5,746 

Total 

26 

10,046 

68.150.258 

17,690,410,280 

*1,878,831 

262 

Of  the  above  societies,  the  llcligious  Tract  Society  wf  London  employs  119  languages.  Its  income  for 
1871  was  $C0S.870.  The  issues  of  its  publications  last  year  were  49,000,000,  making  a total  since  the 
formation  of  the  Society  of  1,885,000,000. 

The  American  Tract  Society  employs  148  languages.  Its  income  for  the  last  year  was  $492,0$2  50. 
Its  issues  during  the  past  year  amounted  to  8,621,419,  and  from  the  commencement  of  the  Society 
81 6,1*45,036. 


ML SSI  ON  A It  T ST  A TISTICS. 


533 


TABLE  VIII. 

BIBLE  SOCIETIES. 


Insti- 
tuted 
A D. 

SOCIETIES. 

Number  of 
copies  issued 
in  1870.  . 

Vo.  of  copies 
issued  from  the 
commencement. 

Income 

1871. 

Inoome 
from  the 
commencement. 

1804 

British  and  Foreign  Bible  Societies. . . 

3,908.007 

68,299,788 

27,670,098 

786.696 

*1,080,121 

788,082 

*94.280,001 

14,100,407 

181(1 

American  Bible  Society 

1,107,727 

1837 

Americon  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. . 

American  Bible  Union 

608,184 

188<f  Bible  Association  of  Friends  in  America. . . 

127.47U 

V"r‘ 

| Continental  Bible  Societies... 

11.724,808 

Dittos. 

) British  India  Bible  Societies  ... 

4.680^860 

Total  Issues  and  Income 

5.010.794 

108,892,8891  *1,869.208 

*48,880.408 

Adding  to  these  the  “Authorized”  issues  of  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  Presses,  and  those  of  the 
“ Queen's  Printers”  in  Edinburgh  and  London,  from  1800  to  lSt-1,  (18,000,000  copies,)  and  the  probable 
number  from  the  same  sources  from  18+4  to  ls70,  (O.hOILOOn.)  making  22,590,000  copies,  so  that  Home 
and  Missionary  Protestantism  have  given  1 :» I copies  of  the  Book  of  God  to  their  fellow- 

men  during  the  past  seventy  years'  and  this  besides  the  multitudes  publishod  by  private  firms  in 
America,  and  the  Harmonies  and  Commentaries  issues!  by  scores  of  authors. 

LANGUAGES  AND  DIALECTS, 

TWO  HUNDRED  AND  SEVENTY-FOUR  IN  NUMBER,  IN  WHICH  THE  HOLY  SCRIPT 

URES,  IN  WHOLE  OR  IN  PART,  HAVE  BEEN  TRANSLATED,  PRINTED,  AND  DI8 

T1UBUTED,  DIRECTLY  OR  INDIRECTLY,  BY  THESE  BIBLE  SOCIETIES. 

EUROPE. 

British  bile* — in  the  English,  Welsh,  Gaelic,  Irish,  and  Manks  languages.  Frnnc e — in  French,  Brc- 
ton,  or  Armorioan,  and  French  Basque.  Spain  and  Portugal — in  Spanish,  Catalan,  Spanish  Basque 
Judteo-Spanish,  Gitano,  and  Portuguese.  Xarthern  Europe — in  Icelandic,  Swedish,  Lapponese,  Fin- 
nish, Norwegian,  and  Danish.  Central  Europe — in  Dutch.  Flemish,  German,  Judam-Gei-man,  Lithu- 
anian, Polish,  ,1  udteo- Polish,  Wendish  Upper,  Wendish  Lower,  Bohemian,  Hungarian,  Wendish,  and 
Slovenian.  Italy , Switzerland,  etc. — in  Italian,  Latin,  Komanese,  Ilomaneso  Lower,  Piedmontese, 
Vaudois.  Greece,  Turkey,  etc.— in  Greek  Ancient,  Greek  Modern,  Glieg,  Tusk,  Turkish,  Grteco-Turk- 
ish,  Armeno-Turklsh,  Ron  man,  Servian,  and  Bulgarian.  Russian  Empire — in  Slavonic,  Modern  Russ, 
Dorpat  Esthonian,  Reval  Esthonian,  Lettish,  Karelian,  Zirian,  Samogitian,  Calmuc,  Morduin  or  Mord- 
vinian, Tseheremissinn,  Tschuwaschian,  Orenburgh  Tartar,  Harass,  and  Crimean  Tartar. 

ASIA. 

Georgia,  etc. — in  Ossitinian,  Georgian,  Armenian  Ancient,  Armenian  Modern,  Ararat- Armenian, 
Trans-Caucasian  Tartar,  and  Kurdish.  Syria,  etc.— in  Hebrew,  Arabic.  Syriac,  Carshun,  and  Syro-Chal- 
daic.  Perrin,  etc.— in  Persic,  Pushtoo  or  Affghan,  and  Belochee.  India — in  Sanskrit  and  Ilindustanee. 
Bengal  Presidency — in  Bengali,  Santali,  Maghudha,  Uriya  or  Orissa,  Hindui  and  its  dialects,  the 
Bughelcundi,  Brug  or  Brij-bhasa,  Canoj,  Kousulu,  Harroti,  Oojein,  Oodeypoora,  Marwar,  Juyapoora, 
Bikaneera,  Buttaneer,  Sindhi,  Gurumukhi,  Moultan,  Punjabi,  Dogura,  Cashmerian  ; Gorkha  dialects — 
Nepalese,  Palpa,  Kuinaon,  and  Gurwhal.  Madras  Presidency — in  Telinga,  Canareso  or  Karnata, 
Tamil,  Dakhani,  and  Malayaliin.  Bombay  Presidency — in  Kuukuna,  Mahratta,  Gujarati,  Parsi-Guja- 
rati,  Cutclii  or  Catchi.  Ceylon — in  Pali,  Singhalese,  and  Indo-Portuguese.  Indo-Chinese — Assamese, 
Munipoora,  Tibetan,  Kliassi,  Burmese,  Bghal-Karen,  Sgau-Karen,  Pwo-Karen,  and  Siamese  or  Thay. 
China  and  Japan — in  Chinese.  Mandarin,  Ningpo.  Canton,  Hakka,  Manchoo,  Buriat,  Southern  Mongo- 
lian, Japanese,  and  Loochooan.  Malaysia — in  Malay,  Low  Malay,  Javanese,  Sundanese,  and  Dajak. 

ISLANDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC. 

Malagasy,  Hawaiian,  Narrinyeri,  Maori,  New  Caledonian,  Nengonese,  Lifu,  Aneitvum,  Ialan,  Ero- 
inangan,  Fate.  Feejeean,  Rotuman,  Tongan,  Nine,  Samoan,  Rarotongan,  Tahitian,  Kusaien,  Ebon,  Gilbert’s 
Island,  and  Marquesan. 

AFRICA. 

East  Africa — in  Coptic,  Ethiopic,  Amharie,  Tigre,  Galla,  Kanika,  and  Swahili.  West  Africa — in  Ber- 
ber, Mandingo,  Temne,  Mende,  Bullom,  Grebo,  Ga,  Tyi,  Yoruba,  Haussa,  Ibo,  Nupe,  Mpongwe,  and 
Dualia.  South  Africa — in  Benga,  Namacqua,  Sechuana.  Sesuto,  Zulu,  and  Kafir. 

AMERICA. 

Greenlandish,  Esquimaux,  Mohawk,  Mic-Mae,  Maliseet,  Seneca,  Arrawack,  Creek,  Cree,  Tinne,  Ojibwa, 
Creolese,  Delaware,  Choctaw,  Dakota,  Mayan,  Mexican.  Negro  dialect  of  Surinam,  and  Aimara. 


534 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


TABLE  IX. 

ROMAN  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS. 

The  numbers  of  Koman  Catholics  is  given  by  John  G.  Shea,  Esq.,  a Romanist  writer,  (in  Newcomb's 
Cyclop.,  p.  297,)  at  184,000,000;  Professor  Schem  (in  his  Eccles.  Almanac,  p.  81)  states  it  at  195,484,000, 
the  Protestants  at  100,835,000,  and  the  Eastern  Churches  (Greek,  Armenian,  Abyssinian,  etc.)  at  SI, 478, 000. 
These  latter  figures  may  be  accepted  as  sufficiently  liberal  toward  Romanism.  They  show  that  the  Anti- 
Papal  Churches  (all  Protestants  in  fact,  if  not  in  name)  are  nearly  equal  in  numerical  strength  to  the 
entire  body  of  the  Romish  Church.  Its  claim,  therefore,  to  be  “Catholic”  is  justly  resisted  by  one  .half 
of  Christendom. 

The  Missions  of  the  Church  of  Rome  were  organized  in  1621  by  Pope  Gregory  XV.,  under  the  desig- 
nation of  'Hue  Congregation  de  Propaganda  Fide.  Formerly  the  foreign  missionaries  of  Rome  received 
regular  stipends  from  the  Governments  of  France,  Spain,  and  Portugal.  But  these  have  ceased,  and 
their  Missions  are  now  supported  by  voluntary  subscriptions  alone,  raised  by  tbe  organization  called  “The 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,”  (instituted  at  Lyons  in  1S22.)  and  which  is  now  “ the  sole  mis- 
sionary organization  of  the  Catholic  Church,”  (Marshall's  Christian  Missions,  vol.  i,  p.  5.)  France  is  the 
head-quarters  of  this  Society,  and  she  contributes  about  two  thirds  of  the  amount  raised  in  the  entire 
Papal  Church,  (that  is,  3,676,060  out  of  5,217,092  francs  collected  last  year.)  Their  missionary  periodical 
is  entitled  “The  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith.” 

In  China,  Romanism  was  planted  as  early  as  the  thirteenth  century,  and  so  far  flourished  as  to  have  an 
Archiepiscopal  See  in  Pekin,  but  was  afterward  expelled,  and  remained  excluded  for  two  hundred  years, 
when  Francis  Xavier’s  association  undertook  to  regain  a footing  in  China.  The  “Catholic  World”  (for 
la70,  p.  210)  calculates  that  in  1630  their  Church  had  13,000  converts  in  China,  150,000  in  1650,  and  that 
the  numbers  had  risen  to  500,000  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century ; but  that,  at  the  close  of 
that  century,  it  had  sunk,  by  expulsion  and  persecution,  to  less  than  290,000. 

In  China,  in  1S56,  according  to  Mr.  Shea,  (Cyclop.,  p.  301,)  Romanism  had  “Bishops,  16;  European 
Priests,  S4;  Native  Priests,  84;  Catholics,  400,000;  and  many  convents  and  houses  of  religious  women." 
But  Mr.  Marshall,  with  his  usual  freedom  with  figures,  chooses  to  swell  up  these  numbers  to  nearly  three 
times  Mr.  Shea’s  amount  within  only  three  years  afterward.  He  says,  (vol.  i,  p.  137,)  “In  1859  there 
were  in  China,  Bishops,  51;  European  Priests,  196;  Native  Priests, 42S;  Ecclesiastical  Colleges,  IS;  and 
probably  adherents,  1,000,000.”  It  need  hardly  be  observed  that  the  statistics  of  Papal  Missions  are  des- 
titute of  the  detail  and  clearness  which  characterize  those  of  Protestantism. 

Their  missions  in  India  were  commenced  in  1510  by  the  Franciscans,  Dominicans,  and  others.  Francis 
Xavier  began  his  labors  in  1542,  and  amazing  are  the  accounts  which  they  give  of  their  success.  But 
after  330  years,  these  “millions”  have  dwindled  down  to  about  800,000  souls.  According  to  the  “ Madras 
Catholic  Directory  ” for  1864,  the  following  are  the  statistics  of  the  Romish  Missions  in  India.  The 
schismatics  mentioned  are  those  connected  with  the  Portuguese  rite  at  Goa,  etc.;  but  the  total  number 
of  “population”  given  is  considered  excessive  by  the  authority  mentioned  on  page  67  of  this  work. 


Dioceses. 

Pkiests. 

Roman  Catholic 
Population. 

Schools, 

1S62. 

Schismatics, 

1862. 

No. 

Pupils. 

Priests. 

People. 

1852. 

4 

1862. 

S 

1852.* 

13,900 

1862. 

6,476 

17,000 

8,3S3 

7 

235 

4 

2,173 

10 

28 

15,000 

S 

850 

4 

800 

12 

18 

3,200 

8 

192 

1 

21 

25 

20,000 

20.813 

14 

1,025 

1 

31 

45 

18,800 

17,500 

19 

1,000 

S85 

83 

80,666 

22 

85 

16,456 

44,000 

10 

12 

9,000 

12 

17 

6,250 

8,558 

4,680 

19 

656 

1 

1 

6 

9 

4,000 

8 

850 

2 

1,000 

12 

18 

19,000 

17,100 

18 

680 

0 

17 

15 

41,400 

86.426 

45 

2,300 

13 

5,570 

10 

19 

20,000 

96,550 

17,000 

4 

2>6 

1 

1.200 

41 

58 

107,136 

61 

900 

4 

8,829 

88 

46 

150,000 

141,174 

50,000 

16 

1.400 

15 

25,000 

18 

24 

44,000 

17 

1,130 

7 

7,000 

441 

868 

228,000 

50.000 

100,000 

230,000 

300 

6,S40 

20 

5.000 

15 

24 

55,237 

48 

1,538 

1 

700 

19 

22 

97,708 

48 

2,620 

1 

48 

729 

779 

846,156 

878,691 

61)3 

22.657 

118 

90.821 

Estimated  uuniber*. 


MISSIONARY  S TA  TIS TICS. 


535 


The  missionary  statistics  of  Romanism  in  India  arc  more  carefully  reported  there  than  they  are  else- 
where, ns  they  are  surrounded  by  circumstances  by  which  they  can  be  more  fully  tested.  Vet  even 
this  showing  is  a wonderful  fall  from  the  "millions"  reported  in  that  land  centuries  ago. 

U nder  the  pressure  of  the  diplomacy  and  the  cannon  of  France,  which  constituted  herself  “ the  protector 
of  Christianity  in  China,"  the  Chinese  Government  has  lately  been  obliged  to  enlarge  the  privileges  of  the 
Romish  Missions,  and  certain  results  are  expected  In  consequence. 

After  an  existence  of  ninety  years,  their  missions  in  Japan,  over  which  such  extravagant  laudation 
was  uttered  in  Xavier’s  Life,  were  simply  annihilated  in  1637,  and  they  remained  excluded  until  lately. 

It  is  impossible  from  any  source  within  our  reach,  even  from  Papal  authorities,  to  obtain  any  thing 
like  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  condition  of  Romish  missions  throughout  the  world  beyond  what  is 
hero  presented.  A very  large  portion  of  their  missionary  Income  is  spent  in  Protestant  nations,  chiefly 
In  England  and  the  United  States.  They  appropriated  to  “Europo  and  America"  last  year  1,985,068 
francs,  leaving  only  2,960,882  francs  for  the  Heathen  world. 

They  published  no  report  in  18Tl,on  account  of  tho  anarchy  in  France  confusing  and  reducing  their 
income,  so  we  have  to  depend  upon  the  Report  of  1870,  as  given  in  tho  Annals,  p.  134,  etc. 

They  sustain,  they  say,  "272  missions."  But  a large  number  of  these  would  be  regarded  as  Domestic 
or  Home  Missions  by  Protestant  Christians.  We  italicise  such  in  tho  list  which  they  furnish,  as  follows : 
“ England , Scotland,  Wales,  West  Duties,  Newfoundland,  Nova  Scotia,  Canada,  United  Slates,  Isles 
of  the  Levant,  Chinn,  Abyssinia,  Algiers,  South  Sea  Islands,  Persia,  Siam,  Cochin  Chinn,  East  Indies, 
Bulgaria,  Greece,  Palestine,  Australia,  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  British  Guiana,  Ava,  Syria,  Thibet,  Tripoli, 
Tunis,"  etc. 

The  Income  of  the  “Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  ” was,  at  different  periods  since  1819,  as 
follows : 


In  1849.. 

. .3,600,146  francs,  divided  by  19 

= *631,023  12 

In  1852.. 

..5,615.400  “ 

U U 

1,067,000  00 

In  1.366. . 

..5,145,558  “ 

u u 

979,856  02 

In  1S67. . 

..6,149,918  “ 

U it 

978,484  42 

In  186S. . 

..5,808,867  “ 

it  it 

1,008,634  73 

In  1869. . 

..5,217,092  “ 

a tt 

991,247  48 

Professor  Sehem,  from  a Theological  Journal  published  in  Paris,  gives  tho  following  summary  of  the 


Missionaries  of  the  Church  of  Rome: 

Of  the  first  class,  or  Missions  of  the  “Secular  Clergy,"  there  are 264 

Of  the  second  class,  or  Missions  of  “ Religious  Congregations,"  there  are. . . . 1,286 

Of  the  third  class,  or  Missions  of  "Monastic  Orders,”  there  are 3,639 

Making  in  all,  throughout  the  world,  Missionaries 5,139 


The  "Catholic  Directory”  for  1S51,  published  by  Battersby  <fe  Co.,  Dublin,  made  the  number  one  fourth 
larger  twenty  years  ago.  The  enumeration  then  was,  “Vicariates,  76;  Prefects,  9;  Missionaries, 
6,276;  Population,  S, 731,062.”  Of  this  mission  “population”  there  are,  according  to  this  authority,  in 
“Europe,  5,4S2,552;  Asia,  1,577,000;  Africa,  231,000;  America,  1,380,009;  Oceanica,  60,000,”  (p.  261.) 
Showing  1,868,000  proselytes  in  the  heathen  world,  and  6,862,561  “population”  in  Europe  and  America. 
Who  these  six  and  three  quarters  millions  in  America  and  Europe  are  they  themselves  best  know.  They 
are  not  “ heathen  ” certainly. 

Their  missionary  income  was  larger  then  than  it  is  now,  (in  1852,  $1,067,000,)  and  it  would  seem  to 
indicate  a falling  off  in  the  staff,  which,  in  the  crippled  condition  of  France,  they  themselves  fear  (see  An- 
nals for  May,  1S71.  p.  125)  will  lead  to  a still  heavier  decrease  for  some  time  to  come. 

Of  ihe  above  6,155  missionaries,  1,672  are  Jesuit  missionaries,  operating  in  the  United  States,  China, 
India,  Australia,  British  America,  and  South  America.  Their  mode  of  counting  “missionaries”  differs 
from  the  Protestant  method.  They  include,  besides  clergymen,  Brothers  of  various  Orders,  Nuns, 
Sisters  of  Charity,  etc.  They  say,  in  the  “Annals”  for  September,  1S49,  “Besides  the  regular  clergy, 
we  have  for  fellow-laborers  nine  religious  bodies,  or  pious  societies;  hospitals  and  orphan  asylums, 
poor  societies  and  boarding-schools ; numberless  establishments  prosper  under  the  direction  of  virgins 
consecrated  to  God.”  And  again  they  observe  that  their  “staff  consists  of  bishops,  coadjutors,  Euro- 
pean missionaries,  native  priests,  deacons,  clerks  in  minor  orders,  students  of  theology,  Latin  schol- 
ars, pupils  in  colleges,  catechists,  and  nuns  in  convents.”  (Annals  for  1S71,  p.  163.)  For  further  evidence 
of  this  see  the  “ Annals  ” for  January,  1S50,  p.  51,  w here  the  above  are  expressly  designated  and  counted 
as  “missionaries."  Numbered  in  this  way,  it  is  easy  to  show  a large  missionary  staff.  Reckoning  thus, 
the  Home  and  Foreign  Missions  of  Protestantism  have  already  a staff  many  times  more  numerous  than 
that  of  the  Romanists ; while  that  of  our  strictly  Foreign  Missious  alone,  in  the  extent  of  its  agency,  (not- 
withstanding the  economy  possible  to  them  by  their  system  of  celibate  instrumentality.)  is  much  larger 
than  theirs,  as  will  be  shown  in  the  next  Table. 


30 


536 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA, 


TABLE  X. 

PROTESTANT  AND  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS  COMPARED. 

Romanism  has  earnestly  labored  to  ignore  Protestant  missions  and  deny  their  efficiency,  while  she 
has  shown  equal  anxiety  to  exalt  and  excessively  exaggerate  her  own  successes.  Honest  Romanists 
might  well  feel  ashamed  of  the  misrepresentations  of  an  author  like  T.  W.  M.  Marshall,  (iu  his  “Christian 
Missions,"  published  by  Sadlier  & Co.,  N.  Y.,  1S64;)  for  surely  the  false  and  partisan  statements  of  such 
a writer  can  bring  no  strength  or  credit  to  any  cause. 

Mr.  Venn,  of  London,  in  his  “ Life  of  St.  Francis  Xavier."  has  exposed  the  hollowness  of  these  boasted 
successes  of  Romish  missions  ; and  now  Dr.  Hoffman,  of  Berlin,  in  his  German  edition  of  Mr.  Venn's 
work,  but  with  additional  and  independent  testimony,  supplied  by  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  them- 
selves— the  witnesses  of  their  own  want  of  success — has  shown  how  frequently  and  extensively  these 
missions  have  failed.  We  hope  that  Dr.  Hoffman’s  book  will  be  republished  in  this  country,  to  give 
English  readers  the  evidence  he  has  added  to  Mr.  Venn’s.  The  statistical  tables  here  presented,  by  the 
honest  comparison  which  they  supply,  will  further  aid  in  exposing  the  misrepresentations  of  such  par 
tisan  writers  as  Mr.  Marshall  and  Cardinal  Wiseman. 

We  first  ask  attention  to  the  following  summary,  and  request  the  reader  to  refer  to  page  531  of  this 
work — where  the  details  are  given — so  as  to  carry  into  the  comparison  the  full  impression  there  presented 
of  the  great  work  of  God  here  summarized : 


HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  OF  PROTESTANTISM. 
(Uniting  Tables  IV  and  VI,  on  Pages  531,  532.) 


PROTESTANT. 

Ordained 

.Missiona- 

ries. 

Native 
Pastors  and 
Preachers. 

Total 

Christian 

Laborers. 

Church 

Members. 

Attendants 
on  W.  rship. 

Scholars. 

Income  of 
Societies. 

2,165 

9,886 

13,924 

280,662 

596,552 

1,151,721 

1.7S9.656 

360.1S9 

266,189 

*5,132,711 

2,336,107 

Home  Missions  

6.946 

10,393 

17.334 

Total 

9,111 

20,279 

31.258 

877,214 

2,941.877 

626.373 

*7,468,818 

Before  proceeding  to  compare  these  missions  with  those  of  Romanism  it  should  be  noticed  that, 

1.  Membership  in  Romish  missions  is  under  different  conditions  from  membership  in  Protestant 
missions,  and  their  relative  increase  is  correspondingly  significant.  Romanism  teaches  that  her  baptism 
regenerates  and  gives  Church  membership — a doctrine  which  we  hold  in  just  abhorrence.  Protestant- 
ism, on  the  contrary,  teaches  the  heathen  his  need  of  personal  repentance  and  faith  in  Christ,  and 
admits  to  baptism  only  as  a privilege  and  evidence  of  this  grace.  Romanism  puts  her  baptism  in  the 
place  of  conversion,  or,  rather,  makes  it  equivalent  to  it,  ar.d  leaves  the  deluded  soul  to  give  evidence  of 
the  error  in  an  unregenerate  life.  The  language  of  her  missionaries  in  reference  to  their  converts  is — 
“She  was  regenerated  in  the  waters  of  baptism,’’  (Annals,  1871,  p.  17 ;)  “Adult  baptisms,  that  is,  conver- 
sions,’’ etc.,  (Marshall,  vol.  i,  p.  24S";)  “We  have  baptized  several  children,  many  of  whom  have  gone  to 
Paradise,  where  they  will  pray  for  their  benefactors,”  (Annals,  1S69.)  Protestant  converts  differ  widely 
from  the  proselytes  of  such  a system  of  dangerous  error  as  this. 

2.  Their  methods  of  missionary  action  are  also  entirely  dissimilar. 

The  Protestant  Missionary  translates  the  Holy  Scriptures  into  the  language  of  the  people,  also  prints 
Christian  tracts,  and  goes  forth  into  their  bazaars  and  melas,  and  preaches  the  Gospel  to  them, 
denouncing  their  idolatry  as  a crime  against  the  Second  Commandment  of  Almighty  God.  He  calls  upon 
them  to  forsake  their  images  and  pictures,  their  holy  water  and  praying  beads,  and  come  to  Christ  for 
salvation  by  grace  alone.  But  the  Romish  missionary  does  not,  and  dare  not,  do  this.  He  works  mostly 
at  home : converts  are  brought  to  him  by  others,  and  he  sacramentally  regenerates  them,  whether  they  be 
infants  abandoned  by  their  parents,  or  adult  proselytes.  The  epitome  of  their  labors  is  furnished  by  ono 
of  themselves  in  the  following  language:  “Hearing  confessions,  administering  communions,  confessions 
of  children  before  first  communion,  baptisms  of  the  children  of  Christians,  of  adult  pagans,  baptizing 
dying  pagans,  marriages  blessed,  extreme  unction,  administering  masses  for  the  living,  for  the  dead,  and 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  Society.” 

They  sometimes  disguise  themselves,  travel  at  night,  conceal  their  movements  from  the  native 
authorities,  wear  the  native  dress,  and  live  in  isolated  communities.  The  Protestant  Missionary,  on  the 
contrary,  is  known  and  read  of  all  men,  has  no  disguise  or  occasion  for  it,  speaks  openly  to  the  world, 
moves  among  the  heathen  without  suspicion  or  fear,  his  life  and  that  of  his  family  being  in  their  pres- 
ence, and  what  the  heathen  think  of  him  and  his  motives  and  his  honest  work  may  be  gathered  from 
the  voluntary  and  unprejudicial  testimonies  quoted  on  pages  363-373  of  this  book — statements  that 
have  incidentally  replied  as  effectually  to  Romish  falsehoods  about  Protestant  missions  ns  they  hnvo 


MI  SSI  ON  A It  T S TA  TIS  TICS. 


537 


to  Lord  Kllonborongh'a  misapprehensions.  'While  the  local  contributions  in  ahl  of  Protestant  missions 
(amounting  last  year  in  India  alone  to  $151,000,  and  constantly  on  the  increase)  from  English  gentlomcn 
of  all  grades  of  society,  judges  and  magistrates,  colonels  and  planters,  before  whose  keen  observation  the 
daily  life  and  labors  of  Protestant  missionaries  and  their  converts  lie  open  continually,  attest  the  confi- 
dence of  those  who  know  them  best,  and,  like  the  testimony  of  the  candid  and  intelligent  heathen,  will,  in 
the  esteem  of  honest  men,  answer  and  silence  the  wicked  misrepresentations  of  Itomish  writers  like  those 
whom  I have  named. 

Let  us  now  compare  the  standing  and  progress  of  the  two  systems,  on  their  respective  showing,  in 
India,  and  then  throughout  the  World. 

I.  In  India. — We  give  them  every  advantage.  Taking  their  own  figures,  and  even  the  highest  of  them, 
those  in  the  Madras  Catholic  Directory,  (see  Table  IX,  p.  534,)  and  using  terms  in  the  same  sense,  we 
find  the  following  facts  in  India: 


PROTESTANT  AND  ROMISH  MISSIONS  IN  INDIA. 


INDIA. 

Ordained 
Missionaries, 
Foreign  mill 
Native. 

Native 
Preachers 
ami  Cute- 
nliiiti  un*»r 
darned. 

T*d«l 

Missionary 

Staff. 

Attendants 
on  Worship, 
or  “ Popula- 
tion.” 

Number 

of 

Schools. 

Number 

of 

Scholars. 

Yearly 

Expendi- 

ture. 

Protestant  Missions 

957 

2,784 

4.05$ 

850,000 

878,691 

2,826 

653 

137,826 

22,657 

11,207,089 

28,828 

779 

771) 

Majority  in  favor  of  Prot-  ) 
estantlsm j 

176 

2,784 

e-  ■ 

8,279 

2,178 

114,669 

$1,178,711 

Giving  Protestantism  the  advantage  in  every  item  of  the  comparison  save  “population,”  and  in  that 
respect  our  more  Christian  terms  of  admission  and  stricter  discipline  furnish  one  satisfactory  reason  for 
the  ditference.  If  Romanism  would  venture  to  publish  the  details  of  her  work  as  Protestantism  can  do, 
and  does,  in  Tables  II  and  III.  (see  pages  529,  580,)  the  comparison  would  be  still  more  to  our  honor  in 
every  department  of  Christian  labor,  while  our  progress  would  be  found,  especially  for  the  time  we  have 
been  at  work,  vastly  greater  and  more  rapid  than  that  of  Romanism. 

In  addition,  we  have  given  the  Word  of  God  to  the  people  in  the  twenty-three  languages  of  the  coun 
try,  besides  creating  n Christian  literature  which  is  already  of  considerable  magnitude. 

II.  Throughout  tiik  World,  comparing  Protestant  and  Romish  missions  in  the  statistics  furnished 
by  each  for  their  results,  we  find  the  comparison  to  be  still  more  favorable  to  Evangelical  Christianity. 

From  the  returns  given  in  Table  IX,  (though  we  cannot  understand  what  they  mean  by  “Europe, 
population,  5,482,552,  and  America.  1,380,01)0  population,”  as  missionary  figures,)  yet,  comparing  their 
Home  and  Foreign  Missions,  even  as  they  thus  express  them,  with  the  Home  and  Foreign  Missions  of 
Protestantism,  given  on  the  preceding  page,  we  find  the  following  results: 


COMPARISON  OF  PROTESTANT  AND  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS  THROUGHOUT 

THE  WORLD. 


TI1E  WORLD. 

Ordained 

Missiona- 

ries. 

Native 
Pastors  ami 
Preachers. 

Total 
Christian 
I jt  borers. 

Attendants 
on  VV-  whip, 
<»r  **  Popultt 
lion.” 

Sch  >1are 
in 

Schools. 

Missionary 
Income  in 
1871. 

9.111 

20.279 

81,258 

2.941.377 

626,378 

|7,46$.S1S 

Kotnish  Missions 

6,276 

6.276 

$,781,062 

22,657 

991,247 

Majority  in  favor  of  Protestantism . . . 

2.835 

20,279 

24.982  1 

603,721 

S6, 477,571 

We  can  find  no  return  of  their  scholars,  save  for  India.  They  have  others,  but  not  reported.  There 
is  tolerable  certainty  that  their  relative  proportion  is  not  greater  than  in  India.  If  as  great,  then  their 
scholars  are  about  1S1.256,  which,  taken  from  the  6215.378  scholars  of  Protestantism,  leaves  445.122.  or 
three  and  a half  times  more  scholars  than  Romanism  has.  They  devote  only  three  fifths  of  their  income 
to  the  heathen  world,  and  cannot,  therefore,  support  with  that  amount  a larger  staff  of  laborers  than 
what  is  here  given.' 

In  the  strictly  heathen  world  (see Table  IX,  p.  534)  their  “population  ” is  1,863.000 ; Protestantism  has 
(see  Table  IV)  1,151,721,  which  is  coming  up  close  to  them  in  the  single  item  in  which  their  figures  out- 
number ours.  While,  if  their  6.276  “ Missionaries”  include — as  we  suppose  they  do— not  only  their  or- 
dained men,  but  also  their  Nuns  and  other  Helpers,  then  the  comparison  should  be  with  the  “total  staff” 
of  Protestant  laborers,  which  amounts  (see  Tables  IV  and  VI)  to  31.25S  Preachers  and  Teachers, 
or  five  times  the  number  of  Romish  Helpers  of  all  classes. 

We  have  also  during  the  past  seventy  years,  at  home  and  abroad,  translated  and  printed  and  put  into 
circulation.  131,000,000  copies  of  the  Book  of  God  in  274  Languages  and  Dialects  of  our  fellow-men, 
at  a cost  of  $4S,000,000.  (See  Table  VIII,  page  533.) 

This  comparison  establishes,  first.  That  Protestantism  contributes  eight  times  more  money  to  save  the 


538 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


world  than  Romanism  gives;  while,  in  view  of  their  numerical  superiority,  her  liberality,  man  for  man, 
in  this  work,  is  only  one  fifteenth  that  of  Evangelical  Christians  ! 

Second.  That  Protestantism  is  educating  three  and  a halftimes  more  heathen  youth  than  Eornanism, 
and  giving  them  a higher  education  as  well,  for  which  reason  they  come  to  us. 

Third.  That  Protestantism  has  a less  number  of  adherents ; but  this  is  caused,  among  other  things,  by 
the  fact  that  we  receive  only  adults  to  membership  on  personal  conviction  and  profession  of  saving  faith, 
and  exercises  over  those  thus  received  a stricter  discipline,  to  the  exclusion  of  those  who  live  not  ac- 
cording to  the  Gospel.  The  “ population  ” of  missionary  Eornanism  are  no  better,  and  perhaps  no  worse, 
than  her  population  at  home,  and  what  these  are  every  taxpayer  in  the  land  well  knows.  No  unpreju- 
diced man  familiar  with  the  facts  but  is  well  aware  that  there  is  a difference  between  these  two  classes 
of  converts. 

Fourth.  That  Protestantism  has  a missionary  staff  larger  by  nearly  3,000  ordained  men— if  the  figures 
of  Eome  include  only  ordained  agency — while,  if  those  figures  include  all  their  laborers,  as  they  seem  to 
do,  then  Protestantism  has  a staff  of  laborers  five  time*  more  numerous  than  that  of  Romanism. 

Fifth.  Let  it  be  borne  in  mind,  in  this  comparison,  that  the  increase  in  Protestant  missions  is  far 
more  rapid  than  in  those  of  Eornanism.  Roman  missions  are  the  growth  of  350  years,  2S0  years  of 
which  she  hod  the  field  to  herself  without  competition ; while  Protestant  missions  have  been  only 
seventy  years  in  operation,  or  one  fifth  of  the  period  of  Eornanism.  Most  of  our  work  is  the  growth 
of  about  fifty  years.  Wo  entered  China  only  thirty  years  ago,  in  1342.  If  Protestantism,  then,  has 
overtaken  Romanism  in  less  than  seventy  years  of  activity,  the  reader  can  readily  anticipate  what  is 
likely  to  be  their  relative  position  seventy  years  hence. 

Sixth.  The  boast  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  her  celibate  Agency — some  of  whom,  she  tells  us,  “ live 
in  bachelors  barracks  on  £24  per  annum” — has  availed  her  little  in  the  way  of  progress  ; while  the  mar- 
ried missionaries  of  Evangelical  Christianity,  at  which  she  sneers  so  often,  though  costing  more,  have 
been  so  well  worth  the  difference  that  they  have,  under  God,  wrought  out  results  which  she  would  be 
only  too  glad  if  she  could  number  among  the  trophies  to  which  she  could  point  as  evidence  of  Heaven's 
blessing  upon  her  instrumentality. 

A married  missionary  has  a decided  advantage  over  her  wifeless  priests.  Not  only  is  he  standing  in 
the  holy  relation  enjoined  upon  all  grades  of  the  Christian  clergy  by  the  Divine  Spirit  that  he  should  be 
“the  husband  of  one  wife,”  and  presenting  before  the  heathen  the  example  of  the  Christian  home,  but 
also  those  heathen  better  understand  him  in  this  relation  than  they  can  any  celibate  priesthood.  In 
addition  to  this,  his  wife  is  truly  a “ help  meet  for  him.”  Each  such  woman  is  well  worth  her  “ bread 
and  butter”  to  the  Society  which  supports  her  husband:  and  she  can  do,  and  does,  for  the  Missionary 
Church,  particularly  for  its  female  members — who  go  to  her,  as  a wife  and  a mother,  in  their  trials  and 
cares  for  sympathy,  advice,  and  help — that  which  a Nun  (however  zealous  or  devoted)  is  disqualified  to  im- 
part. No  Nun  has  ever  been  to  the  cause  of  Christ  what  such  missionary  wives  as  Mrs.  Judson,  Mrs. 
Spaulding,  or  Mrs.  Peirce  have  been. 

Seventh.  Nor  have  the  full  facts  of  Protestant  success  been  even  yet  brought  out  in  this  comparison. 
Had  evangelical  Christianity  retained  under  its  rule  and  tutelage  the  Churches  which  it  has  founded,  its 
numerical  statistics  would  be  nearly  double  its  present  figures.  The  missionary  action  of  evangelical 
Christianity  has  originated  large  Churches,  and  raised  nations  from  barbarism.  The  Baptists  in  Bur- 
mah  have  saved  the  Karens,  and  made  them  a Christian  people;  the  American  Board  has  done  the 
same  for  the  Sandwich  Isles,  the  Moravians  for  Greenland,  the  Wesleyans  for  the  Feejee  and  Friendly 
Isles,  and  the  Independents  for  Madagascar.  Extensive  self-supporting  Churches,  and  even  whole  Con- 
ferences, have  been  organized  in  Australia,  Eastern  British  America,  Canada,  France,  Liberia,  the  Sand- 
wich Isles,  and  Oceanica.  all  of  which  were  once  “missions,”  and  are  now  not  only  self-supporting,  but 
evi  n aiding  the  parent  Churches  in  their  evangelizing  efforts,  or  else  supporting  missions  of  their  own 

The  converted  Friendly  Isl  mders  last  year  raised  all  the  expends  of  their  mission,  and  contributed 
besides  $17,500  (£3.500)  iti  order  to  send  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to  regions  beyond.  So  also  are  the  Sand- 
wich Islanders  doing  in  Micronesia.  The  writer  saw  the  same  fact  developing  among  the  Karens  of 
Burmah.  The  native  Christians  of  India  contributed  last  year  (see  Table  III)  $43,101  toward  the  sup- 
port and  extension  of  the  work  of  God. 

These  cheering  results,  ami  evidences  of  true  Christian  life  and  devotion,  Romanism  cannot  compare 
with.  What  confusion  and  destruction  of  her  labors  has  she  had  to  witness  during  the  past  three  hun- 
dred years ! How  frequently  has  she  been  expelled  from  lands  where  she  toiled,  not  for  the  Gospel's  sake 
eo  much  as  for  a course  of  procedure  which  jealous  native  administrations  have  regarded  as  political  ambi- 
tion, and  overbearing  conduct  and  interference!  Protestant  missions,  in  the  East  especially,  are  no 
strangers  to  the  complications  which  she  ha,s  originated,  and  it  is  very  probable  that,  if  it  were  not  for 
the  presence  of  Protestant  missions,  and  the  consideration  which  their  godly  and  prudent  course  justly 
claims,  even  from  the  heathen,  that  Eornanism  would  be  an  exile  to-day  from  other  lands  besides  those 
which  have  already  expelled  her,  even  as  Roman  Catholic  Governments  at  home  for  similar  cause  have 
often  expelled  hor  Jesuit  orders,  and  forbid  their  return  to  their  territories. 


MISSIONA RY  S TA  TISTICS. 


539 


Wlmt  would  St.  Peter  or  St.  Paul  think  of  a system  which  hna  departed  so  far  from  apostolic  doctrine 
and  methods  of  evangelization,  and  descended  so  low  that  some  of  their  missionaries  adopt  the  role  of 
those  wretches  described  in  Chapter  IV  of  tills  work  1 and  that,  so  far  from  being  ashamed  of  it,  their 
writers  admit,  and  try  to  justify  the  fact,  that  her  Missionaries  do  assume  their  character  and  livery,  wear 
their  badges,  and  trick  themselves  out  in  their  paint  and  crosiers  and  robes.  They  thus  act  a lie,  in 
tho  concealment  of  character  and  the  compromise  of  truth,  in  order  to  make  proselytes. 

Romish  missions  have  long  been  open  to  this  fearful  charge.  Tho  Jesuit  missionaries  adopted  the 
dress  and  habits  of  the  Bonzes  In  Chinn,  and  of  the  Fakirs  and  Yogees  in  India.  It  is  enough  to  name 
Robert  de  Nobili  in  this  connection.  Let  tho  reader  turn  back  to  the  engraving  on  page  199,  and  look  at 
the  miserable  creature  who  sits  there,  and  then  think  of  Robert  de  Nobili,  and  tho  system  that  lauds  him 
for  making  himself  exactly  like  that  wretched  heathen  1 
Rome  continues  the  same  course  to  this  hour.  It  is  one  of  her  methods  of  missionary  action.  Swartz 
In  1771,  ono  hundred  years  ago,  was  scandalized  by  meeting  the  Romish  missionary  in  South  India, 
dressed  in  the  stylo  of  the  pagan  priests,  wearing  their  yellow  robe,  and  having  like  them  a drum  beaten 
before  him.  It  is  just  the  same  in  1872.  Only  a few  weeks  since  the  Rev.  \V.  O.  Simpson,  Wesleyan 
Missionary  of  South  India,  uttered  these  words  from  tho  platform  of  Exeter  Hall,  London  : 

"Now,  of  all  these,  my  European  brethren  and  my  native  brethren,  I can  say  this:  you  will  never 
find  in  them  any  concealment  of  character.  1 was  going  along  a road  in  Trlchlnopoli  when  I saw 
something  coming  toward  me  astride  of  a tattoo.  I wanted  to  have  a good  look  at  him,  and  I advanced 
into  the  middle  of  the  road,  so  that  this  object  might  pass  between  me  and  the  wall.  As  he  came 
by  that  object  (lashed  with,  I hope,  honest  shame.  It  was  something  which  made  his  cheeks  red.  llis 
face  was  as  white  as  mine,  but  he  wore  the  badge  of  one  who  has  sworn  devotion  to  Siva.  On  his 
shoulder  was  the  robe  of  one  who  has  sworn  devotion  to  that  god;  around  his  neck  was  the  official 
rosary,  the  technical  rosary  of  the  Sivite ; and  in  his  hand  there  was  a crosier,  the  serpentine  staff  of  a 
Gooroo,  or  Sivite  teacher.  Yet  that  man  who  passed  me  had  a face  as  white  as  mine;  he  was  a Jesuit 
Missionary , and  was  going  to  angle  for  souls  in  the  name  of  tho  Prince  of  Truth  with  all  the  trappery 
and  trickery  and  trumpery  of  a compromise  of  the  truth.  Before  I met  him  that  morning  I had  been 
saving  to  myself.  I wonder  If  I can  get  any  nearer  to  these  people.  But  when  I saw  him  I felt  my 
Bible  under  my  arm,  and  I said.  Lord  Jesus,  forgive  me  for  thinking  that  I could  do  this  work  with  any 
kind  of  lie  on  my  lips  nr  in  tny  hand.  Just  half  an  hour  after  I was  sitting  in  a large  class  of  twenty-six, 
all  Brahmins,  sons  of  the  very  priests  of  tho  temple,  who  were  reading  with  me  in  a kindly  and  in  a 
loving  spirit  the  history  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  I said  to  myself,  I would  rather  have  one  soul 
won  in  this  way  than  five  hundred  in  that  way.  I remember  preaching  in  tho  streets  of  Manargudi, 
and  I had  referred  to  idolatry,  when  a man  came  forward  and  said,  ‘ Sir,  I have  a question  to  ask.’  ‘ What 
is  it?’  I said.  ‘ What  business  have  you,’ said  he, ‘to  preach  against  idols?’  ‘ My  dear  friend,’ I said, 
‘an  idol  is  nothing  in  the  world.’  He  said,  ‘Why,  they  are  in  your  own  temples.’  ‘No,’  I said,  ‘they 
are  not’  ‘ But,’  said  he,  ‘ I have  seen  them.’  ‘No,’ I said, ‘you  have  not.’  * Why,  sir,’  paid  he,  ‘can't  I 
believe  my  own  eyes?’  ‘No,’  I said,  ‘you  cannot.’  There  was  near  him  a shop-keeper  who  had  heard 
tnanv  sermons  from  me.  This  man  turned  round  to  the  shop-keeper  and  said,  ‘ Did  you  ever  hear  such 
a gentleman  as  that  in  your  life  ? He  says  I cannot  believe  my  own  eyes.’  The  shop-keeper  said,  ‘ And 
you  cannot.’  ‘Now,’ said  he,  assuming  the  dignified,  ‘ where  do  you  comefrom?’  ‘ O,’ said  the  other, 
‘I  come  from  so  and  so.’  ‘Ah,’  said  the  shop-keeper,  * any  body  could  tell  you  were  a country-side 
man.  Where  did  you  see  these  idols?’  ‘O,’  said  he,  ‘I  saw  them  in  the  little  temple  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river.’  That  was  a Jesuit  chapel.  ‘Ah,’  said  the  shop-keeper,  ‘did  I not  tell  you  you  were  a 
man  from  the  country-side?  For  anybody  but  a provincial  would  know  these' — pointing  to  my  col- 
league and  myself — * are  not  those.'  He  went  on  to  say,  ‘ Don't  you  know  those  are  our  little  brothers  ? 
these  are  no  relations.’  I am  thankful  that  in  our  Indian  work  we  stand  so  plain  and  clear  from  every 
kind  of  compromise  that  even  there  the  heathen  are  beginning  to  understand  that  ‘ these ' are  not 1 those.' 
Why,  ‘these’  believe  in  an  open  Bible,  ‘those’  in  a closed  one;  ‘these’  believe  in  ministers  that  are  no 
priests,  ‘ those ' believe  in  priests  that  are  sacrificers ; ‘ these  ’ believe  in  the  direct  access  of  each  particu- 
lar soul  to  Christ,  ‘those’  believe  in  mediators  and  mediatrixes  many;  ‘these’  believe  in  a pardon  re- 
ceived direct  from  Gqd,  ‘those’  believe  in  one  dropped  from  the  fingers  of  a priest,  and  paid  for  in 
money.  I say  again  for  my  brothers,  both  black  and  white,  when  you  help  them  and  when  you  pray 
for  them,  you  may  be  quite  certain  that  there  will  be  not  only  no  concealment  of  character,  but  no  com- 
promise of  truth.” 

Yes,  the  sagacious  Hindoo  was  right  in  recognizing  the  Romish  fraternity  as  his  “ little  brothers,”  for 
the  likeness  is  too  manifest  to  be  denied,  their  opinions,  ceremonies,  and  morals  are  so  nearly  identical, 
and  the  only  hope  of  India  and  the  world  lies  in  the  deliverance  of  both  from  the  doctrines  and  practices 
of  Romish  missions,  and  their  reception  of  that  Evangelical  Christianity  which  has  already  made  good 
its  claim  to  finish  the  glorious  work  that  it  has  so  well  begun. 


- V 


. 


GLOSSARY  OF  INDIAN  TERMS 


USED  IN  THIS  WORK  AND  IN  MISSIONARY 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


(The  common  spelling  Is  given  in  Italic,  followed  by  the  correct  or  phonetic  spelling  in  Roman.) 


Ab 

Ab 

Water ; e.  g.,  Do-ab,  two  waters ; Punj-ub,  five  waters. 

Abad  

Adawlat. 

Admee 

A man. 

Allah 

Allah 

The  Arabic  or  Mohammedan  name  of  God. 

Alum 

The  universe,  or  world. 

Ameen 

A native  Judge. 

Amreeta 

( The  water  of  immortality;  the  ambrosia  of  the  Hin- 
| doo  gods. 

Anna 

A coin ; the  sixteenth  of  a rupee,  worth  three  cents. 

zip 

••••'Ap 

Your  Honor. 

Asman 

Anoor 

A devil,  an  evil  spirit. 

Ata 

'Ata 

Flour,  meal. 

Attar 

Essence,  or  rose  oil. 

Avatar 

j An  incarnation;  particularly  of  Vishnu,  nine  of 
( which  have  taken  place,  the  tenth  is  yet  to  come. 

A yah 

Baboo Babu Hindoo  title  of  respect ; sir,  gent 

Bagh Bagh A garden  or  grove. 

Babadoor Bahadur Brave,  title  of  rank. 

Bujra Bajra A kind  of  millet. 

Batin  Bana  i The  Word;  the  so-called  sacred  writings  of  the 

I Bhuddists. 

Bandy Band! A gig  or  cart. 

Banghy Bahangi \ A pole  with  ropes>  for  carlTing  baggage  on  the 

l shoulder. 

Bangle Bangle A bracelet. 

Bap Bap Father. 

Baraduree. ..... .Baradari \ A bnildin*  with  twelve  doors'  A summer-house  in 

{ a garden. 

Barat Barat Marriage  ceremony  of  bringing  home  the  bride. 

Basun Basan A plate,  dish,  or  vessel. 

Bawurchee Bawarchi A cook. 

Bau-archeekana. . .Bawarchikhana.  .A  cooking-place  or  kitchen. 

Bazaar Bazar A market  or  trading-street. 

TUrrho  j A land  measure ; about  one  third  of  an  acre,  but 

" ( differing  in  the  various  provinces  of  India. 


542 


THE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA 


Begum 

. . Begam 

. . A princess  or  lady,  (Mohammedan  title.) 

Belatee 

. . Walavati 

. .Foreign.  European. 

Bhadrnauth 

, .Badriuath 

) The  Lord  of  Purity.  The  deity  worshiped 
/ Bhadrinauth. 

Bhugavat 

. Bhagavat 

. .One  of  the  names  of  Brahm.  God. 

Bhugavat-  Gita  . . 

. .Bhagavat-Gita. 

. .A  philosophic  episode  of  the  “Mahabarata.” 

Bliung 

. . Bhang 

. .An  intoxicating  preparation  of  hemp. 

Bheestee 

. . Bihishti 

. . A water  carrier. 

Bhoosa 

, .Bhus 

.. Food  for  cattle ; chaff. 

Bhoot 

. .Bhut 

, . A ghost  or  spirit. 

Bihisht. 

, . Bihisht 

. .Paradise,  heaven. 

Bouzees 

. . Bouzis 

. .Tiie  priests  in  China  and  Tartary. 

Boodha, 

. . Budha 

. .Old  man. 

Boot 

, . But 

. . An  idol  or  pagoda. 

Brahm 

. . Brahm 

..God;  the  Divine  essence. 

Brahma 

. .Brahma 

. .The  personal  Creator. 

Brahma-loka. . . 

. . Brahma-lok . . . 

( The  highest  of  the  sixteen  celestial  worlds  of  the 
( Buddhists. 

Brahmin 

. .Brahman 

. .Hindoo  priest;  the  first  of  the  four  Hindoo  castes. 

Brdhmo  Somaj. 

. .Brahmo  Somaj . 

j A new  sect  of  reformed  Hindoos,  styling  themselves 
) intuitional  deists. 

Brinjaries 

. .Brinjari 

. .Carriers  of  grain. 

Budgerow 

. .Bajra 

. . A large  cabin-boat ; a pleasure-boat. 

Buddha 

. . Baudk 

( Gotama;  a historical  personage  worshiped  in  Thibet, 
( China,  etc.  Called  Fo  in  China. 

Buddhist 

. . Buddhist 

. . A follower  of  Gotama-Buddha. 

Buckslieesh 

. . Bakhshish  .... 

. . A present  or  gift. 

Bungalow 

. .Bangla 

. . A house,  usually  thatched. 

Bunya 

. . Baniya 

. . A grain  merchant  or  trader. 

Burra 

. .Bara  . . .• 

. . Great. 

Bur  sat 

, . Barsat 

. .Rains,  or  the  “rainy  season.” 

Buttee 

. . Batti 

. .A  candle  or  lamp;  a lamp-wick. 

Byragee 

. . Bairagi 

. .A  religious  mendicant,  a worshiper  of  Vishnu. 

By  lee 

. . Baldi 

. . A native  carriage  drawn  by  bullocks. 

Garanchie 

Caste 

. . Karanchi 

. . Zat 

. . A native  carriage. 

( A division  of  Hindoo  society,  of  which  there  are  four 
( principal:  Brahmin,  Kshatriya,  Vaisva,  Sudra. 

( A Mohammedan  Judge,  who  decides  civil  and  crim- 

Cazee 

. . Qazi 

l inal  suits  by  the  Koran. 

Chand 

. . Chand 

. .The  moon. 

Cliarpoy 

. . Charpai 

j A light  native  cot  or  bedstead,  usually  made  of 
( bamboo  and  cords. 

Chattah 

. . Chhdtd, 

. . An  umbrella. 

Cheetah 

. .Chita 

. .A  leopard;  frequently  used  in  hunting. 

Chvrragh 

. . Chiragh 

. . A small  light  or  lamp. 

Chitalc 

. . Chhatank 

. . A weight  of  about  two  ounces. 

Chittee 

. . Chitthi 

. . A note  or  letter. 

Chobedar 

. . A bearer  of  a silver  mace. 

Chokey 

. . Chauki 

. A chair  or  stool ; a guard  station. 

Chokra 

. . Chokri 

. . A boy.  Chokri : a girl. 

GLOSSARY  OF  INDIAN  TERMS. 


543 


Chor 

. . Chor 

. A robber,  a thief. 

Chota 

. . ChhotA 

.Little. 

Clwta-hazree . . . 

.A  slight  refreshment  in  the  morning. 

Chowk 

. .Chauk 

.A  market,  yard,  or  court. 

Chowkeydar  . . . 

. .Chaukidar 

. A watchman.  i 

Chowrie 

. .Chauri 

.A  whisk  lor  driving  off  flies. 

Chuddur 

. . Chaddar 

.A  sheet  or  table-cloth. 

. A leather-dresser. 

Chunam 

. .Chunam 

. Lime. 

Chupotti 

. .Chapati 

.A  thin,  unleavened  cake  of  coarse  flour. 

Chupper  

. .Chappar 

.A  thatched  roof.  ^ 

Chuprassie  .... 

. .Chaprasi 

.A  peon  or  messenger. 

Churuk-poojuh  . 

. . Charkh-puja. . . . 

.An  annual  barbarous  swinging  festival. 

Chutney 

. . Chatni 

.A  kind  of  pungent  sauce  or  catsup. 

Coolie 

. .Quli 

,A  burden-bearer,  a laborer. 

Coss 

. . Kos 

.The  Hindoo  milo;  about  two  English  miles. 

Cowrie 

. .Kauri 

.A  small  shell  used  as  currency;  5,120  to  a rupoe. 

Crore 

.Ten  millions  ; one  hundred  lakhs. 

Curry  

1 A popular  Indian  dish,  composed  of  meat  cooked  in 

1 a dressing  of  spices,  and  eaten  with  boiled  rice. 

Cutcha 

i Unripe;  uncooked;  green;  imperfect;  built  of  un- 
! burnt  brick. 

Cutcherry 

.A  court-house,  or  court  of  justice. 

Dacoit Dakait A robber  or  river-pirate. 

Dai. Dai A wet-nurse  ; a midwife. 

„ ( A light  conveyance,  or  sedan,  borne  on  the  shoulders 

Dandy Dandi J ' 

( of  two  men. 

Daroga Darogha A superintendent;  an  agent. 

Dawk Dak A post,  letter  post,  or  arrangements  for  traveling. 

Dawk  Bungalow  . .Dak  Bungla A rest-house  for  travelers. 

Deccan Daklian The  South. 

Deen Din Religion,  faith. 

Devar Dewa. A Hindoo  name  for  the  gods  generally. 

Dewan Diwan A chief  minister : an  agent. 

Dewanee  Khass. . .Diwan  i Khass. . .The  audience-hall  of  the  “ Great  Moguls.” 

Dharma Dharm Divine  law,  duty,  virtue. 

Dharma  Shastra.  .Dharm  Shastr.’. . .The  Hindoo  Code:  religion,  science,  morals,  law. 

I Tile  custom  of  sitting  in  defiance  before  one’s  door 

Dlierna. Dherna < , c 

( to  .compel  compliance  with  a demand. 

Dhobee Dhobi A washerman.  Dhobin:  a washerwoman. 

_ , t,  * v.  ( A tract  of  country  between  two  rivers;  as  that  be- 

I tween  the  Ganges  and  Jumna. 

Dooley Doll A litter,  or  light  palanquin. 

Dozukh Dozakh Hell. 

Durbar Darbar A court  where  a levee  is  held. 

Durbeen Durbin A spy-glass  or  telescope. 

Durga-Poojah. . . .Durga-Puja  . . . ' A ?eaTl*  festival  of  tho  Hindoos-  extending  over  fif- 

l teen  days,  in  honor  of  the  Goddess  Durga. 

Durvesh Darwesh A Mohammedan  sage  or  beggar. 

Durwan Darwan A gate-keeper. 


544 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


Durzee 

. . . A tailor. 

Dustoor 

. . .Customs,  manners,  usage. 

Dustoori 

. . . Fee  or  percentage  exacted  by  middlemen  and  servants. 

Dwaper  Tug.  . 

. .Dwapur  Jug  . 

The  third  age  of  the  world. 

Ellis 

. .Iblis 

. . .The  Mohammedan  name  for  the  Devil. 

End, 

. .'Id 

. . .A  Mohammedan  festival;  their  Easter. 

Emir  or  Ameer . 

. . Amir 

. . . A chief  or  noble. 

Eurasians  . . . . 

1 Descendants  of  Europeans  and  Asiatics;  sometimes 
( called  East  Indians,  or  half-castes. 

Fakir 

. . .A  religious  mendicant. 

Feringhee 

. . . A European ; a foreigner. 

Ferishta 

. . .An  angel. 

Firdoos 

. . .Paradise:  the  heaven  of  the  Mohammedans. 

Firman 

...  A royal  order,  mandate,  command. 

Faujdar 

. . . A commander;  an  army  officer. 

Gunesha 

Ganges 

Gharree 

Ghareewan  . . . , 

Ghat. 

1 A Hindoo  deity : the  God  of  Wisdom,  represented 
\ with  an  elephant’s  head. 

\ The  holy  river  of  India.  From  Gunga,  the  river, 
\ represented  as  a deity. 

. . . A carriage,  cart. 

...  A coachman. 

( A landing  or  bathing-place;  flight  of  steps  at  a 

1 river ; also,  a pass  in  mountains. 

Glice 

...Gin 

...  An  inferior  butter  used  for  cooking. 

Ghogra 

...  A river  in  Upper  India,  a tributary  of  the  Ganges. 

(Jhulam , 

...  A slave,  a servant. 

Gliora 

...  A horse. 

Ghur 

. . .House,  home,  habitation. 

Ghurra 

. . . An  earthen  water-pot  or  pitcher. 

Ghurree 

...  A clock,  watch,  hour. 

Gomashta  .... 

. . .An  agent,  officer,  or  superintendent. 

Goumlee 

...  A river  in  Oude  flowing  by  Lucknow. 

Godown 

. . .A  store-house,  cellar,  warehouse,  magazine. 

Gora 

...  A white  man : an  English  soldier. 

Gossain 

...  A religious  mendicant  worshiping  Mahadev,  ("Shiva.) 

Gonah 

. . .A  sin,  crime. 

Gram. 

. . .Gram 

A kind  of  vetch,  pulse,  or  peas. 

Guddee 

...  Pad,  cushion,  or  seat : a throne  or  royal  seat. 

Guicowar 

, . . .Name  of  a sovereign  in  the  South. 

Gully 

. . .Street,  alley,  way. 

Guroo 

A religious  teacher,  priest. 

Guz 

...  A measure ; a short  yard. 

Hackery 

...  .A  native  cart  drawn  by  bullocks. 

Hadjee 

) A Mohammedan  who  has  made  the  pilgimage  to 

1 Mecca. 

Hukeem 

...  .A  Mohammedan  doctor,  a sage,  philosopher. 

Hakim 

. . . .A  ruler,  governor,  king. 

GLOSSARY  OF  INDIAN  TERMS. 


545 


Ifanuman 

Harem 

llati 

HavUdar 

Hazree 

Hejira 

. .Iliithi 

. .Hawaldar 

. .Hijri 

. .The  deified  monkey  who  was  the  ally  of  Rama. 

. .Sacred,  prohibited,  the  inner  or  women’s  apartments. 

. .An  elephant. 

. . A native  sergeant. 

, . Breakfast,  presence. 

1 Flight;  the  flight  of  Mohammed  from  Mecca,  16th 
\ of  July,  A.  D.  622;  the  Mohammedan  era. 

. . A diamond. 

, . .A  smoking-pipe. 

( A Hindoo  festival  to  commemorate  the  beginning  of 
( the  new  year. 

. . . A native  bank-note ; a bill  of  exchange. 

\ A box-seat  on  an  elephant's  back ; an  elephant’s 
\ saddle. 

Ilera. 

Hookah 

Hooke. 

. . I loll 

Hoondee 

I/owdah 

Hack 

. . Haqq 

. . .Equity,  truth,  reason. 

Jlurkaru 

. .Harkara 

, . .A  messenger,  a running  courier. 

Hurrumzadu . . . 

. . Haramzada. . . , 

. . . A rascal,  a bastard. 

Huzar 

. . . A thousand. 

Huzoor 

, . .Royal  presence;  “Your  Honor.” 

Huzrat 

t Excellency,  majesty,  divine;  a title  accorded  to 

( superiors. 

Huzral  Isa 

. . .Jesus  Christ. 

, The  God  of  Light.  The  leading  ancient  Yedic  deity, 

Indra  

, J sometimes  called  the  God  of  Heaven,  but  now 
( occupying  only  an  inferior  position. 

Islam 

. . .The  Mohammedan  religion. 

Istan 

i A termination,  signifying  place  or  country,  as  Aff- 

l ghanistan  that  of  the  Aflghans. 

Izzut 

. . . Honor,  respect. 

Jagheer 

( A State  or  landed  estate  assigned  by  Government 

( as  a reward. 

Jtighiredar 

. . . A person  holding  a jagheer. 

Jehan 

. .The  world. 

Jahaz 

. . .A  ship. 

Jain 

. .A  kind  of  degenerate  Buddhists. 

Jat 

, . .A  caste  or  sect;  a tribe  among  the  Rajpoots. 

Jeel 

. . Jliil 

. .A  shallow  lake  or  pond. 

Jemmadar 

i A native  subaltern  officer ; head-man  of  a village  or 

\ class. 

Jinn . 

j According  to  the  Mohammedans,  an  intermediate 

( race  between  angels  and  men. 

Jotee 

. . . A shoe  or  slipper. 

Jowar 

. . . A kind  of  millet. 

Juggernauth . . . . 

\ The  Lord  of  the  World.  A god  of  the  Hindoos, 
/ whose  temple  is  at  Orissa. 

Juldee 

. . Jaldi 

. . . Quick  1 quickly  1 

Jumma  Musjid. . 

. .Jama  Masjid.. . 

j Chief  mosque  at  Delhi.  The  largest  place  of  Mo- 
} hammedan  worship  in  India. 

Jammaut 

. .Assembly,  meeting,  congregation. 

546 

THE 

LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 

Jumna 

...  .A  river  of  North-west  India. 

Jung’/i 

...  .A  thicket,  desert,  wilderness,  wood. 

Kaffir 

Kalee 

Kali  Yug. 

. .Kali 

. . . . An  infidel ; impious  rascal. 

. . . .The  Hindoo  goddess  of  destruction. 

t The  fourth  or  present  age  of  the  world ; the  black  or 

( iron  age. 

Kalpa  - 

. . . A day  of  Brahma,  equal  to  4,320,000,000  solar  years. 

Karen 

. . . .An  aboriginal  race  in  the  hills  of  Burmah. 

Ka-si 

j Magnificent;  the  ancient  name  of  Benares,  still  so 

) called  by  the  Brahmins. 

Kutree 

. . . .A  military  caste  of  Hindoos. 

Khansama 

...  .A  steward  or  butler. 

Kheleei 

. . . . A robe  or  dress  of  honor  presented  as  a gift. 

Keranee 

. . . . A writer,  clerk ; a man  of  mixed  blood. 

Khuda 

. . . .God. 

Kkudawund . . . . 

. . . . Lord,  sir,  master. 

Kitmutghar 

. . . .A  table  attendant. 

Kincnb 

. . . .Brocade. 

Kismut 

. . . .Destinv,  ciiance,  fortune. 

( “Mountain  of  Light.”  A diamond  so  called,  for- 

Koh-i-noor 

. . J merly  worn  by  the  Great  Moguls,  and  now  by  the 
( Queen  of  England. 

Koran 

j The  supposed  revelation  to  'Mohammed,  collected  by 

( the  Caliph  Omar. 

Kotee 

....  A house,  mansion,  dwelling. 

Kotwal - 

. . . .Mayor  of  the  city,  police  officer. 

Kotwalie 

. . . . Mayor’s  office  or  police  station. 

Krishna 

. . . .The  name  of  Vishnu  in  his  eighth  incarnation. 

Kshatriya 

. . . .The  second  or  military  caste  of  the  Hindoos. 

Kulma. 

( The  Mohammedan  confession  of  faith:  “There  is  no 

l God  but  God,  and  Mohammed  is  his  Prophet.” 

Kupra-wallah . . 

....  A cloth  merchant. 

Lac 

. . . .One  hundred  thousand. 

1 The  Buddhist  priests  of  Tartary  and  Thibet,  the 

Lamas 

. . -<  chief  of  whom  is  called  Dali,  Grand  Lama,  or 
( Living  Buddha. 

Larlca. 

. . . . . A babe,  boy,  child.  Larlcee:  a girl. 

Linga 

...Ling 

j Membrum  virile;  the  indelicate  form  under  which 
l Shiva  is  worshiped. 

Log 

• • -Log 

. . . .Mankind,  people. 

Lohar 

....  A blacksmith.. 

Lungoor 

A baboon ; the  black-faced  monkey. 

Maha.. 

. . . .Great,  illustrious. 

r The  second  great  Sanscrit  epic  of  the  Hindoos,  cel- 

Mahabarata Mahabharat. . . J ebrating  the  wars  of  the  rival  Pandoos  and 

( Kuroos. 

One  of  the  names  of  the  god  Shiva. 

A great  king. 


Mahadeva Mahade  v . 

Maharajah. Muh&ruja 


0 LOSS  ART  OF  INDIAN  TERMS. 


547 


A celestial  age  in  Hindoo  chronology,  including 


Mafia  Tug 

12,000  divine  years,  each  of  which  is  equal  to 
1 360  solar  years,  the  Maha-Yug  being  equal  to 

l 4,320,000  years  of  mortals. 

Mahout 

. . . . An  elephant-keeper  and  driver. 

Malik 

Maine 

. . . . A gardener. 

Manjee 

Jfeidun 

A plain,  ground,  tield-of-battle. 

Mela 

. .Mela 

t Hindoo  fair  or  festival  held  for  religious  or  comrner- 
) cial  purposes. 

Menu 

| The  author  of  the  legal  and  religious  Code  of  the 
1 Hindoos. 

Methur 

. . .A  sweeper. 

Mithuranee 

, . . .A  low-caste  nurse. 

Minar 

...  A lower,  minaret,  obelisk. 

Mina 

. . . . Prince,  sir. 

Mnchee 

...  A shoemaker. 

Mo/iuU  t 

. . Mahalla 

Quarter,  district,  division. 

Mnhur 

A gold  coin,  valued  at  sixteen  rupees  or  eight  dollars. 

Moli  urrnm 

. . .The  first  month  of  the  Mohammedan  year. 

MooUc 

. . Mulk 

, . . .Country,  regiom 

Moonshtt 

\ teacher  of  languages,  usually  a Mohammedan. 

Moonsif. 

. . .Arbitrator,  Judge. 

Moutre 

. ..Moti 

...  A pearl. 

Moult  th 

...  .A  Mohammedan  priest,  doctor,  teacher. 

Mud  vie 

. . Maulvi 

...  A learned  Mohammedan. 

Mantra 

. . .Mystic  verses  or  incantations  of  the  Brahmins. 

Musjemi 

. . Masjid 

• • - A mosque;  Mohammedan  place  of  worship. 

Manual 

. . . A light  or  torch. 

Mussulehee 

. . Mashalchi. . . . 

...A  link-boy.  torch-bearer. 

Muss  uk 

. . .A  leathern  bottle  for  carrying  water. 

Mussulman 

\ A term  used,  like  Moslem,  to  denote  all  who  believe 
) in  the  Koran. 

Musnud 

. . . A throne,  a royal  seat. 

Muezzin 

. . .The  person  who- calls  the  Mohammedans  to  prayer. 

Naih 

. . .Deputy  or  viceroy. 

Xuinaz 

.Namaz 

. . .Prayer,  (Mohammedan  term.) 

Xana 

. Nana 

. .. . Maternal  grandfather. 

Xautch 

.Natch 

. . .The  dance,  ball.  etc. 

Xtihuh 

.Nawab 

A Mohammedan  title,  viceroy,  governor. 

Xazim  or  Nizam. 

. Nizam 

. . . Ruler. 

Ximmuk 

.Namak 

. - .Salt. 

Ximmuk-haram, . . 

. Namak-haram , 

. . - A traitor  to  his  “covenant  of  salt.” 

Ntmr 

.Nur 

. . . Splendor,  light. 

Nubee 

. . . A prophet. 

Nuddee 

.Nadi 

. . . A stream,  river. 

Nagger 

.Nagar 

, . . A town,  village,  city. 

Nullah 

.Nullah 

. . . A water-course,  a ravine. 

Nuzzur . . 

.Nazar 

. .An  offering: 

548 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDA. 


Padishah 

j Padshah  ) 
1 Badshah  \ 

...  A king,  ruler,  emperor. 

Paddy 

Padre 

. . . Rice ; rice  in  the  field. 

t A common  term  in  India  for  a Christian  clergyman; 

) a priest,  (Portuguese.) 

Payoda 

. . .A  Hindoo  place  of  worship. 

Pahar 

. . .A  hill  or  mountain. 

Paharee 

. . . Pahari 

. . .A  hill-man,  mountaineer. 

Palankeen  ) 

. . . Palki 

j A litter  for  one  person  to  ride  in,  the  usual  convey- 

Palanquin  ) 

) anee  in  India. 

Parsee 

1 A sect  found  in  Western  India,  the  followers  of 

1 Zoroaster,  or  the  Persian  Magi. 

Parswanath . . . 

. . . Parisnath  . . . . 

. . . The  deity  of  the  Jains. 

Patan 

) A term  applied  to  the  old  Affghan  Mohammedans 

as  distinguished  from  the  Moguls. 

The  betel-leaf;  the  nut  of  the  areca-palm,  lime,  and 


Pawn 

.Pan 

( 

spice  wrapped  in  a betel-leaf  and  chewed  by  the 
1 natives. 

Peer 

. .Pir 

( 

.A  Mohammedan  spiritual  guide;  a sage. 

A leader ; originally  the  title  of  the  chief  minister 

Peishwah 

( 

' of  the  Mahratta,  later  a royal  designation  of 
' Bajee  Rao  and  Nana  Sahib. 

Peryunna ...... 

. . Pargana 

. A district,  township ; less  than  a zillah. 

Pice.  

1 A copper  coin;  one  third  of  an  anna,  value  nearly 
| one  cent. 

Pie 

. .Pai 

A copper  coin;  one  twelfth  of  an  anna. 

Ponja.h 

■ • Puja 

.Worship,  praver. 

Pucka 

j Ripe,  finished,  thorough,  (as  a burned  brick,)  perfect 
l Used  to  discriminate  a true  from  a false  Christian. 

Punchaet 

. .Paucliayat 

. A jury  of  five  men. 

A Brahmin  learned  in  the  Vedas  and  Shasters  ; a 

Pundit 

( 

teacher  of  the  Iiindee  or  Sanscrit  language. 

' A large,  wooden,  covered  frame,  suspended  from  the 

Punkah 

( 

ceiling,  with  a heavy,  deep  frill,  kept  in  motion  by 
! a coolie,  as  a fan,  to  cool  the  air  in  a room. 

Poor  or  Pore. . . 

A town  or  city ; used  in  composition,  as  Seeta-pore, 
the  City  of  Seeta, 

Puranas 

j The  especial  designation  of  the  eighteen  books  of 
| the  Hindoo  legends  or  traditions. 

Purda 

. A curtain  or  vail : partition,  secrecv,  privacy. 

Purda-nashssn. . 

. .Parda-nashin. . . 

.A  secluded  lady;  one  sitting  behind  a curtain. 

Purwana  

.A  permit,  pass,  or  order. 

Pais 

. A prince,  chief,  head,  citizen. 

Iiaj 

.Empire,  kingdom,  government. 

Rajah 

.King,  prince,  sovereign. 

Ramadan 

. .Ramzan 

.The  name  of  a montli ; a fast  of  the  Mohammedans. 

Ranee 

.Feminine  of  Rajah;  a Hindoo  princess  or  queen. 

Rupee 

.A  silver  coin,  worth  nearly  fifty  cents. 

Rutt 

. A four-wheeled  carriage  or  car. 

Ryot 

. A peasant ; a tenant  or  subject. 

GLOSSARY  OF  INDIAN  TERMS. 


549 


Sahib Sahib.. . 

Satya  Yug Sat  Jug. 

Sepoy Sipahi.  . 


Seraglio 


.Seraglio . 


SewaUa Shirala. . . 

Shadrc Shadl 

Shah. Shah 

Shulaodi Shahzada . 

Shasti  a or  Sluistr. . . . 


Shiva Shiv . 


Shesas or  Shceitcs . . Shiah  . 


Shroff. Sharraf . . 

Shytaa Shaitan 

Sheikh Shaikh . ......  ) 


Sirkur Sirkar. 

Soma Soma.. 


Sonnets Sunnis 


Smear Sawar 

Suhmhtr Sdbadar 

S ninth Siiba 


Sadder Sadr . 


* 

Sudra .Sudr J 


Saltan Sultan. 


Sunnwl Sanad. 

Surdar Sardar. 


Suttee Sati I 

I 

Syre Sais 

Syud  or  Said.  . . .Saiyad j 


Sir.  lord,  gentleman. 

The  first  age  of  the  world;  age  of  truth. 

A native  soldier. 

From  Sara,  house,  and  Ahul.  domestic;  hence 
Suralio  or  Seraglio,  the  family  or  female  apart- 
ments. 

A temple. 

.Marriage,  wedding,  happiness. 

A king,  a prince,  (Mohammedan  title.) 

The  son  of  a king. 

Hindoo  Scriptures. 

The  Hindoo  God  of  Destruction,  husband  of  Kali, 
and  the  third  member  of  the  lliudoo  Triad  or 
Trimurti. 

One  of  the  great  Mohammedan  sects;  followers  of 
Ali,  the  son-in-law  of  the  Prophet,  and  esteeming 
the  three  Caliphs,  Abubeker,  Omar,  and  Oman,  as 
usurpers.  To  this  sect  belong  the  Persians  gen- 
erally, the  royal  family  of  Oude,  and  most  of  the 
lower  orders  of  Mussulmans  in  India. 

A native  banker  or  money-changer. 

The  devil,  Satan. 

A disciple,  follower,  scholar;  the  name  of  the 
religionists  in  the  Punjab. 

The  State  or  Government. 

The  milky  juice  of  the  moon-plant  mixed  with  bar- 
ley and  fermented,  forming  an  intoxicating  drink; 
used  in  the  ancient  Yedic  worship 

“Followers  of  the  traditions,”  who  maintain  the 
lawful  succession  of  the  three  Caliphs  before  Ali, 
and  pay  great  respect  to  the  traditions  of  Islam. 
The  Arabs,  Turks,  Affghaus,  and  most  of  the 
educated  Mussulmans  of  India,  are  of  this  class, 
and  style  themselves  Orthodox,  the  Sheeas  being 
regarded  as  heretics. 

A cavalryman,  a mounted  soldier  or  policeman. 

A governor  of  a province,  a captain. 

A province. 

Chief,  principal,  as  Sudder-udatvluf,  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Justice  in  India. 

The  fourth  or  servile  caste  of  the  Hindoos;  now 
vaguely  applied  to  all  low  classes. 

Sovereign,  prince,  (Mohammedan:)  also  a title  for. 
merly  borne  by  the  royal  family  of  Delhi. 

A grant  or  diploma. 

A chief,  head-man,  commander. 

The  ceremony  of  burning  a widow  with  her  hus- 
band's corpse. 

A groom  or  horse-keeper. 

A prince ; a descendant  of  Hossein,  son  of  Ali,  and 
grandson  of  Mohammed. 


550 


TEE  LAND  OF  TEE  VEDA. 


Taj., 

Talook 

Talookdar.  . 

Tattee 

Tattoo 

Thakoor. . . 
J'li  anna  . . . 

Teral 

Tliannadar . 

Thug 

Tola 

Tonjon 

Tope 

Treta  Yug. . 
Tulclit ...  . 
Tulwar 
Tussuldar. . 


Taj A crown. 

.Taaluq A State  or  Baron}',  usually  larger  than  a Zemee.ndaree. 

. Taaluqdar A land-holder,  a baron. 

-yatt[  1 A mat  made  of  cus-cus  grass,  kept  wet,  and  sus- 

/ pended  before  a window  to  cool  the  room; 

Tattu A pony. 

Thakiir Idol,  lord,  baron. 

Thana A police  station. 

Tarai A swamp,  marsh,  or  miasmatic  region. 

Thanadar A police  officer  or  constable. 

j A professional  murderer  and  devotee  of  the  goddess 
‘ / Kali. 

Tola One  hundred  and  eighty  grains  Troy  weight. 

Tonjon A chair  with  a hood. 

Top A clump  of  trees;  a cannon. 

Tret  Jug The  second  age  of  the  world;  the  silver  age. 

Taklit Chair,  throne,  seat. 

Talwar A native  sword. 

Tahsildar A collector  of  revenue. 


Upanishads Upanishads Expository  supplements  to  the  Vedas. 


Vaislmavus. . 

Vaisya 

Valceel 

Vedas  


Vedanta 

Vishnu . 
Vizier . . 


.Bed. 


. . .Vaishnavas The  worshipers  of  Vishnu. 

. . .Vaisva The  third  or  agricultural  caste  of  the  ITindoos. 

. . .Vakil An  envoy,  prime  agent. 

( From  Ved.  learning,  the  most  ancient  sacred  books 
J of  the  Hindoo?,  of  which  there  are  four:  the  Rig- 
j Veda,  the  Yajur-Veda,  the  Sama-Veda,  and  the 
t Atharva-Veda. 

A system  of  pantheistical  philosophy  founded  on 
scattered  texts  of  the  Vedas, 
j The  Preserver;  the  second  member  of  the  Hindoo 
I Triad  or  Trinnmi. 

.Wazir The  chief  minister  in  a Mohammedan  sovereignty. 


. Vedant. 


.Vishnu. 


Wuh  Wah Wall  Wall Admirable!  well-done!  bravo! 

Witael. Wilayat Country,  region,  abroad,  foreign. 

Wufadar Wafadar Faithful. 


Yogee Jogi A silent  saint. 

Yug Jug An  age  of  the  world. 


Zeen Zin A saddle. 

Zemeendar Zamindar Land-holder;  collector  of  revenue  of  a district. 

Zemeendaree Zamindari A province. 

Zenana Zandna From  Zun.  a woman,  the  inner  apartments  in  India. 

Zillah Zila An  extensive  district. 


, i' • 


